Why Panthers’ Hubbard was more focused on ‘Rolex’ than a TD on final drive vs. Falcons
Chuba Hubbard could have padded his stats. He could have stretched out for a touchdown on a red-zone run to put the Panthers ahead with time left on the clock. A trip into the end zone would have then forced the Atlanta Falcons into a hurry-up drive with a touchdown serving as the only possible comeback option.
But instead Hubbard was thinking about the clock Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.
The Panthers were in the “Rolex” situational phase of their offense. That meant that the team favored the bleeding of the clock over a touchdown in order to prevent the Falcons from getting the ball back.
Because if they don’t have the ball, they can’t score.
So, Hubbard didn’t push forward on the cusp of the end zone when he was tackled at the 2-yard line with 1:41 left in a two-point game. It was smart situational football by Hubbard and the offense.
“We had ‘Rolex’” Hubbard said. “Just had to get down and win the game.”
The Panthers knelt three consecutive times after Hubbard’s final run, draining the clock until its final tick. From there, kicker Eddy Piñeiro nailed a 23-yard field goal, as the Panthers celebrated a comeback 9-7 win at home.
Hubbard — who collected 87 rushing yards on 22 carries in the game — touched the ball seven times on the game-winning drive, as the Panthers marched 90 yards to victory. The “Rolex” drive cut 7:35 off the clock, and ultimately kept the Falcons’ offense on the sideline to end the game.
“To be able to do that and win the game, it’s a confidence booster. I’m not going to lie,” Hubbard said. “We’ve had a lot of drives where we just came up short this year and to be able to finish that on the right note felt good.”
Hubbard wasn’t alone in carrying the Panthers to a win.
Rookie quarterback Bryce Young made a trio of huge completions on the drive, connecting with tight end Tommy Tremble and wide receiver Jonathan Mingo and DJ Chark to get the offense to the point where the unit could drain the clock. Young, who had a forgettable first three quarters, went 5-for-5 for 68 yards on the last drive to win the game.
“It’s something for us to build off of,” Young said. “Again, it hasn’t gone the best before this, but we need a win every week. There’s no week that we need one more than the other. And throughout all this, we never lose faith. Never lose confidence. Never lose trust in each other. There’s no loss of fight. They’re hard to come by, and they mean a lot. We’ve got to enjoy it and then file it away and take what we can from it and improve.”
Aiding Hubbard and Young was the much-maligned offensive line, which held firm down the stretch. While the unit was bailed out of a sack because of a defensive holding penalty, the group was otherwise sturdy in the final moments, especially as the group churned the clock.
“We were able to rise to the occasion today and get it done,” center Bradley Bozeman said. “So we are really excited about it.”
The offense was set up for its slow but stellar final drive by the defense.
Safety Xavier Woods picked off Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder with the Atlanta offense stationed in the red zone. The interception not only got the ball back to the Panthers’ offense but wiped out the possibility of a score for the Falcons.
At the time, a field goal would have pushed the score to a 10-6 lead for the Falcons, forcing the Panthers to come up with a touchdown drive to win the game. Instead, the Panthers were able to coast and drain the clock before attempting a chip shot field goal to win it.
The turnover was the second of the second half for the Panthers’ defense. And just like the fumble recovery by pass rusher Brian Burns in the third quarter, Woods’ interception led to a Piñeiro field goal. But this time, that scoring drive won the game.
“It feels great knowing that the defense did what they did to give us the ball back and then we just put it all together and got us the win,” Hubbard said. “That’s how football works. Offense works for the defense, defense works for the offense, and special teams as well. So it feels good.”
