An already potent Carolina Panthers rushing attack is getting back a key member.
After missing Carolina’s last two games due to a calf injury, running back Chuba Hubbard will return in Week 7. In Hubbard’s absence, running back Rico Dowdle answered the bell for the Panthers – and in rather loud fashion.
Dowdle, who said that “the two-headed monster is better than one,” isn’t worried about potentially losing touches to Hubbard.
“All that stuff is left up to the coach, and then the only thing we can control is going out there and producing at a high level,” Dowdle said on Wednesday, according to the Panthers’ team website. “That’s all we really have to control. We are pretty close and there’s no hard feelings either way.”
Dowdle has totaled 200-plus yards from scrimmage in each of the Panthers’ last two games, which were both home wins. In Week 6, Dowdle rushed for 183 yards on 6.1 yards per carry, while logging four receptions for 56 yards and one touchdown against his former team, the Dallas Cowboys. The week prior, Dowdle rushed for 206 yards and one touchdown on 9.0 yards per carry against the Miami Dolphins.
Dowdle said that Hubbard’s return will allow both backs to “be fresh throughout the whole game.”
“I wouldn’t say it’s weird, you know, when you go out there and perform and have two good games like this,” Dowdle said. “Of course, it’s going to be the question, but like I said, it’s all up to the coaches about what goes on here. [Chuba’s] got his contract and things like that, and it’s been his team from the jump, so you got to just take all that into account, for sure.”
Hubbard, who’s in the first season of a four-year, $33.2 million deal, is focused on easing back into the mix.
“To be honest, for me, I’m a football player. I love football. I love this team. I love competing. Any time I get on that field, whether it’s first, last, middle of the game, whenever, I’m going to give my all, so that’s my mindset about it,” Hubbard expressed regarding what his usage will be in the wake of Dowdle’s play.
Before the calf injury, Hubbard had rushed for 217 yards on 4.1 yards per carry, while tallying 13 receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns through four games. As a collective whole, Carolina, which is now 3-3, is fourth in the NFL in rushing, averaging 142.7 yards per game on the ground.
Last season, Hubbard rushed for 1,195 yards and 10 touchdowns on 4.8 yards per carry across 15 games. Meanwhile, Dowdle rushed for 1,079 yards and two touchdowns on 4.6 yards per carry, while totaling 39 receptions for 249 yards and three touchdowns.
Carolina’s “two-headed monster” has a road bout against the New York Jets on Sunday (1 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
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