Hubbard was ‘excellent.’ With McCaffrey to join him, could Panthers get their mojo back?
In separate but equally despondent postgame news conferences Sunday, Panthers head coach Matt Rhule and quarterback Sam Darnold each offered the same, single takeaway that was positive.
“I thought Chuba (Hubbard) was excellent,” Rhule told reporters after his team’s 21-18 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at Bank of America Stadium. “It looked like a couple of times he was going to break it for a big one. I thought he caught the ball well. He caught screens, ran the ball. I was pleased with him.”
Said Darnold: “I thought Chuba was a bright spot today.”
And that’s fair.
Hubbard, the rookie running back from Oklahoma State drafted by the Panthers in the 2021 draft’s fourth round, had his best NFL game to date on Sunday: His 24 carries for 101 yards and five catches for 33 yards furnished one of the only bright spots in a Panthers loss that seemed to get uglier and uglier with every Panthers offensive possession.
There’s no question that Hubbard can be a valuable asset in Carolina. He’d proven that before Sunday.
There’s also no question that — on a day of three Darnold interceptions, squandered turnover opportunities, missed chances for game-sealing drives and just general offensive incompetence — the Panthers need their star running back Christian McCaffrey, who was ruled out before Sunday’s kick, still nursing a hamstring injury. (Through two games without the team’s star running back and the organization’s most recognizable pupil, Carolina is 0-2.)
So what did Sunday truly prove? That the Panthers need them both.
And perhaps they need each other, too.
McCaffrey, after all, is among the most impactful players in the NFL, if not for his sheer talent, for the fact that he is the overwhelming focal point of a Panthers offense that has only won with him and has looked impotent without him. (The Panthers expect to have McCaffrey back next week.)
But the Panthers and McCaffrey need Hubbard, too. They need him in order to manage McCaffrey’s workload — a loud and worthwhile concern after he had 30 and 29 touches in his first two weeks of the 2021 season — but also because he’s good and getting better.
Can Hubbard control a game yet, like his superstar backfield counterpart? Not quite. But he was special on Sunday, a rare bright spot in an overcast day for the Panthers offense.
Postgame, Hubbard was asked if it was frustrating to not break off a couple big runs, ones that were halted by a shoe-string tackle here, tripping over himself there.
“Yeah I’ve just got to do a better job of breaking tackles and making big plays,” Hubbard said. “I mean, that’s what they drafted me for, so I’ve got to execute.”
That’s in part true.
But the Panthers also drafted Hubbard for how good he and McCaffrey could be when they’re both at their best. And on Sunday, the NFL saw Hubbard at his.
-- Alex Zietlow
Expanded Panthers-Eagles coverage
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+ Grading the Carolina Panthers in their Week 5 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles
+ Analysis: Panthers under pressure to fix glaring issue and get season back on track
+ Eagles 21, Panthers 18: Carolina collapses late as Darnold throws 3 interceptions
+ Panthers-Eagles game interrupted by shirtless man who stormed field. See for yourself
This story was originally published October 10, 2021 at 8:45 PM.
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