Panthers Stock Report: Chuba Hubbard Rises, Bryce Young Falls After Packers Loss

The Carolina Panthers didn't have much time to figure out what went wrong against Tampa Bay before turning around and playing Green Bay four days later. There were some things I liked Thursday night, but not enough of them as Carolina left Green Bay with a 27-19 loss.

The run defense was much better, and Chuba Hubbard had another good game. Bryce Young and the passing game struggled for the second straight week, and the offensive line had a hard time keeping Green Bay out of the backfield. The Panthers also forced three turnovers and somehow got only three points out of them.

Here's where I have the Panthers' stock after Thursday night.

Stock Up: Chuba Hubbard

Hubbard was good again Thursday night. He carried it 22 times for 81 yards and a touchdown and caught seven passes for another 38 yards. That's 119 yards from scrimmage on 29 touches.

The seven catches are what caught my attention. Young was under pressure for much of the night, and there wasn't much happening downfield, so Hubbard gave him another option. I wrote about Carolina using Hubbard more as a receiver during the game, and I hope we see more of it.

Stock Up: Panthers Run Defense

I was a little worried about this matchup after Tampa Bay ran for 258 yards against Carolina on Sunday. Going from that to facing Josh Jacobs four days later didn't exactly look like a great situation for the Panthers.

Jacobs ended up with only 39 yards on 21 carries, and Green Bay had 66 rushing yards as a team. He scored twice, including once as a receiver, but Carolina didn't let him beat them on the ground.

Green Bay had plenty of success throwing the ball, especially to Christian Watson. I'm not giving the entire defense a pass here. But considering what Bucky Irving and Tampa Bay did four days earlier, I'll take what Carolina did against Jacobs.

Stock Up: Zakee Wheatley

I've liked what we've seen from Wheatley, and Thursday gave us another reason. He picked off Jordan Love in the fourth quarter for the first interception of his NFL career and gave Carolina another possession with a chance to get back into the game.

According to the Panthers' postgame numbers, Wheatley is one of five rookies in franchise history with an interception and a forced fumble through his first six games. With all the injuries in Carolina's secondary, we're probably going to see a lot more of him.

Stock Down: Bryce Young

Young finished 23-of-41 for 209 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He made a nice throw to Jalen Coker for a 26-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, but before that there wasn't much happening in the passing game.

The protection wasn't good, so I'm not putting everything on Young. There were still throws he missed, and on a few of the sacks he held onto the football too long. I gave him a C- in my postgame report card, and I'm still right around there.

We've seen Young play a lot better than this. He threw for 329 yards against Detroit, 287 against Atlanta and 281 against Philadelphia. I expected something closer to that after the Tampa Bay game, and we didn't get it.

Stock Down: Offensive Line

rasheed walker — Aug 21, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Carolina Panthers offensive lineman, tackle Monroe Freeling (57), guard Robert Hunt (50), center Luke Fortner (77), guard Damien Lewis (68), and tackle Rasheed Walker (63) line up for a snap in the first quarter during the preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Six sacks and nine quarterback hits aren't going to work. Green Bay pressured Young on 48.9% of his dropbacks, and there were several plays where he didn't have much time to do anything.

Carolina is pretty beat up up front right now. Taylor Moton is on injured reserve, Damien Lewis missed the Green Bay game and Corey Bullock left with a quad injury. Jake Curhan ended up playing left guard after being elevated from the practice squad.

The Panthers have some time before Denver, and hopefully that helps get a couple of guys back. I already had the offensive line on my list of things Carolina needed to work on. Watching Young get sacked six times didn't change anything for me.

Stock Down: Wasted Turnovers

This is the one that bothers me.

Carolina forced three Green Bay turnovers and got three points out of them. Jackson Kuwatch forced a fumble on the opening kickoff, Nick Scott forced another one in the second quarter and Wheatley picked off Love in the fourth.

The Panthers lost by eight. I'm not saying Carolina scores a touchdown every time Green Bay turns it over, but getting three extra possessions and coming away with three points isn't good enough. One touchdown on any of those possessions could have made the fourth quarter a lot more interesting.

Carolina is 3-4 and doesn't play again until Nov. 8 against Denver. After playing twice in five days, the Panthers have some time to get healthy and figure out what they want to change before then.

Add us as a preferred source on Google