Dave Canales admitted what was obvious to Carolina onlookers over the past two games: The Panthers can't ignore that Rico Dowdle is clearly their best running back right now.
Since Chuba Hubbard returned to the lineup the past two weeks, he's seen the majority of reps, out-snapping Dowdle, 73 to 52, per Next Gen Stats. Hubbard has generated 65 rushing yards and a touchdown on 26 carries over those two games, while Dowdle has more than doubled that production, dashing 133 yards on 25 carries.
"Chuba has meant a lot to his organization, certainly to the identity that we wanted to build our team on, and we wanted to give Chuba the opportunity to go out and continue to impact our team in a positive way,'' Canales said Monday, via ESPN. "We cannot ignore that Rico has been exceptional in a couple of games, and then in the opportunities he's had over the last two weeks.
"He's made some excellent plays. Love the tempo and violence that he's running with. And these are all things that we're talking about and working through this week."
It was surprising to see the Panthers hand Hubbard back the bulk of the workload coming off injury, particularly given that Dowdle had become the engine of an offense that helped spearhead back-to-back wins sans the starter.
Dowdle set a Panthers record with 473 scrimmage yards during the two games Hubbard was sidelined with a calf injury. He came up 17 yards shy of back-to-back 200-yard rushing games.
The ferocity and anger Dowdle runs with helped set the tone for the Panthers. Against a previously punchless Bills run defense in the Week 8 blowout, Dowdle averaged 6.8 yards per carry for 54 yards on eight totes with a long of 24. Hubbard generated 2.8 YPC for 34 yards on 12 totes with a touchdown. The difference between the two backs was stark.
"We have to respect the job that Chuba has done for us to get us to the point where we've established a mentality about how we run," Canales said. "And we cannot ignore the fact that Rico has made an impact when he's been out there."
The Panthers face the NFC-leading Green Bay Packers in Week 9, who own the NFL's second-best rush defense, allowing 552 rush yards in 2025, and rank fourth in yards per rush (3.7 YPC).
