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Numbers suggest Panthers’ rushing issues aren’t an offensive line problem

The 2024 Panthers featured a respectable ground game which has yet to get untracked this season. An NFL analyst points out that the issues aren’t up front.
Russell Baxter|
Sep 28, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard (30) runs against the New England Patriots during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
Sep 28, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard (30) runs against the New England Patriots during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

Week 5 of the 2025 NFL season got off to a flying start as the San Francisco 49ers went to SoFi Stadium and knocked off the rival Los Angeles Rams in overtime, 26-23, on Thursday night.

Earlier this week, eight Yardbarker writers combined to choose one positive development for each of the league’s 32 clubs. Eric Smithling handled the four teams in the NFC South, and when it came to Dave Canales’s Carolina Panthers he came up with a bit of a surprising revelation. Keep in mind that injuries have been a big factor when it comes to the team’s offensive front this season.

The Panthers are averaging just 100.3 yards per game on the ground this season. Entering Week 5, that was a pretty disappointing 26th in the league. But Smithling took a much closer look. “The surface numbers say otherwise—the Panthers are averaging 3.9 yards per carry, No. 23 in the NFL—but Carolina’s run-blocking has been a strength through four games, entering Week 5 No. 7 in ESPN’s run-block win rate rankings.”

Rico Dowdl
Sep 28, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Elijah Ponder (91) knocks Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) out of bounds during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

“Among 43 qualifying backs,” added Smithling, “offseason free-agent acquisition running back Rico Dowdle ranks last in rush yards over expected (RYOE) per attempt (-1.5), according to NFL Pro data, further illustrating the Panthers’ unimpressive rushing numbers aren’t a result of struggles up front.”

Now it’s also worth noting is that Carolina’s rushing yards per game total is dragged down by the club’s Week 2 performance at Arizona. Canales’s team fell behind 27-3 and finished with just 49 yards on the ground. The Panthers are actually coming off a season-high 129 yards rushing in last Sunday’s ugly 42-13 loss at New England. Chuba Hubbard leads Carolina with 217 yards rushing on 53 carries (4.1 average).

This Sunday, the Miami Dolphins will be in Charlotte. That team comes off a 27-21 Monday night victory over the Jets in which the ‘Fins defense allowed a whopping 197 yards on the ground. It may be an opportunity for Canales’s running game to roll up some substantial numbers.

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Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.