Panthers' Ground Game Can’t Afford Another Second-Half Disappearing Act in 2026

Nine weeks into 2025, Carolina’s ground game was roaring. It didn’t have the same bite during the season’s second half, and it eventually cost the Panthers.

Dec 28, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) runs the ball against Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed (90) during the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

In his second season as head coach, Dave Canales guided the Carolina Panthers to their first NFC South title since 2015. That was the year the franchise won its first 14 games, finished 15-1, and reached Super Bowl 50 thanks in part to a huge year from NFL MVP Cam Newton.

This season, the Panthers totaled just eight wins—and improvement from the team’s previous two seasons combined (7)—but it was a year marked by inconsistency. One of the issues was a running game that appeared headed towards a bigger year than in 2024, but wasn’t nearly the factor during the second half of the season.

Oct 12, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) runs with the ball during the second half against the Dallas Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

Keyed by newcomer Rico Dowdle, only four teams in the league were averaging more yards per game on the ground than Carolina. Canales’s club ran for an average of 139.8 yards per outing, and the Panthers totaled 25-plus running plays in eight of those contests?

So what happened? Including the team’s 34-31 home loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the first round of the playoffs, Carolina managed at least 25 rushing attempts only four times in their last nine contests. The Panthers failed to reach the century mark yardage-wise in six of those games, and Canales’s offense ran for only 89.1 yards per game.

When it was all said and done, the NFC South champions averaged 116.3 yards per game rushing (19th in the NFL), only slightly better than the previous season when the Panthers finished 18th in the league in terms of yards per game on the ground (110.5).

Dowdle wound up leading the team with 1,076 yards rushing and six touchdowns. In the team’s Week 9 win at Lambeau Field, he totaled 25 attempts for 130 yards and two scores. In his final nine appearances, he never totaled at least 20 carries, and was held below 60 yards on the ground in each contest. That includes the wild card loss to the Rams, in which he finished with nine yards on five attempts and eight of his nine yards came on one carry.

Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard (30) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams in the second half during the NFC Wild Card Round game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Chuba Hubbard, the team’s leading rusher in 2024, was the team’s starter at the start of 2025 but missed two games in October. That opened the door for Dowdle, who is slated to hit free agency in March.

Regardless of who was the focus of the running game during the second half of 2025, there appeared to be far less of a commitment to the ground attack than earlier in the season. Despite the progress shown by quarterback Bryce Young in his third season, this was a better offense when it was more balanced during the season’s first nine weeks.

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