Panthers’ offense could have a different look in Week 5 and it has nothing to do with Rico Dowdle’s ability to replace Chuba Hubbard
Carolina will be leaning more into the deep ball in Week 5.
The Carolina Panthers got the bad news confirmed on Friday. Starting running back Chuba Hubbard will be inactive due to a calf injury for Week 5’s matchup against the Miami Dolphins.
Not only that, Hubbard is reportedly expected to still be day-to-day moving forward, but not expected to be added to the injured reserve, which is some silver lining. In the meantime, Rico Dowdle is expected to move forward as the team’s starting back, starting on Sunday.
The Panthers signed Dowdle to a one-year, $3 million deal with some added incentives, coming off a season in which he totaled over 1,000 yards as the Dallas Cowboys’ lead back in 2024.
Stylistically, the Panthers shouldn’t plan to change up the gameplan with Dowdle leading the backfield instead of Hubbard. Both backs have the ability to carry a sizable workload and be a downhill, physical runner while being versatile enough to catch passes out of the backfield.
Yet, the offense might still look a little different in Week 5, but that has nothing to do with the change at running back.
Panthers will be looking for more downfield opportunities in Week 5
Based on how the first four games went for the Carolina Panthers, the one thing missing offensively has been the downfield explosives in the passing game. Right now, the Panthers rank 30th in 20+ yard pass attempts with just seven and it’s something head coach Dave Canales noticed while doing some self-scouting after the team’s Week 4 loss to the New England Patriots.
“That was a big one that we looked at in the first four games,” Canales said on Wednesday. “How can we get the ball down the field with the guys we’re playing with right now?”
One way to do so is by adding new players to the equation to help in that area. The Panthers already have one dominant downfield pass catcher in rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, the target on four of those seven downfield plays. And following the injury to David Moore, the Panthers are expected to give more opportunities to another rookie in Jimmy Horn Jr., who was inactive in each of the first four games despite having some noticeable speed to his game.
“When I know Jimmy is confident about what’s happening, you see the speed and ability really show up, and that’s what’s happened in the last two weeks as he’s continuing to get himself ready because you just never know, and here we are,” Canales said of Horn. “And he’s done the work, he’s working really hard, it’s all hands on deck, he’s into it, he’s excited about it.”
The Panthers are also expected to get second-year wide receiver Xavier Legette back in the lineup after missing each of the last two games with a hamstring injury. Legette has had a disappointing start to his 2025 season, even when he was on the field. He’s a player eager to put those struggles behind him and prove he can be the explosive player this team expects him to be.
“I think one thing, you look at X and he’s an explosive athlete and one of the biggest missing pieces of our offense right now, if you just look at the stats, is the explosive plays,” offensive coordinator Brad Idzik explained. “When you have an explosive athlete out there like Xavier, like Jimmy’s gonna get a chance this week to run around and provide some speed on the field, or you’re just making plays down the field, like TMac does, that expands the coverage. Gives us more favorable looks for the running backs in the box, so it really all ties in together, and Xavier is a huge part of that.”
Being able to stress the defense down the field needs to be an emphasis this week for the Panthers’ offense, regardless of the situation in the backfield and the favorable matchup in the run game. Because the two tie together. Forcing the defense to back up opens things more on the ground.
But, schematically, Canales isn’t going to change up his philosophy. Coming from the Pete Carroll tree, Canales wants to play a physical brand of football, as evidenced by his controversial decisions to run the ball and move the chains in short-yardage situations instead of calling up more shot plays.
“Does (short-yardage situations) present some explosive opportunities? Absolutely. But that’s my philosophy. It’s kind of been my DNA, going back to being with coach Carroll for all these years,” Canales explained. “When we get into that mode, we want to be able to be tough. We want to be able to run downhill. We want to be able to do those things so we can get a new set of downs and then open up the attack again.”
So, the shot plays need to start being called on early down situations. Of Young’s seven attempts of 20+ yards, only one was called on first-down: an incompletion to Legette in Week 1. That’s were the disconnect is with this offense and what Canales is trying to do.
Shooting for those big plays early and then sticking to the physical run game to move the sticks seems like the ideal gameplan to fit what the Panthers are looking to accomplish going into Week 5. But, it also puts more pressure on the players to execute on those early down shots.
“I trust in coach and his play calling,” quarterback Bryce Young said. “I think his play-calling has been great. It’s on us as players to execute, on me as the QB to make the plays work. I trust in coach. He’s been doing a great job. What he’s going to call this week, I trust in the plan.”
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Panthers Final Week 5 Injury Report: Carolina makes a final decision on RB Chuba Hubbard and rule out two defensive starters
Tough news going into the weekend.
