The Carolina Panthers approach their Week 5 game against the Miami Dolphins in desperate need of a win if they want to remain in the NFC South race. Unfortunately, they will be missing one of their top offensive players, star running back Chuba Hubbard, who is injured. Hubbard has missed practice for the past two days due to a calf ailment that he was able to play through in Week 4. Unfortunately, it appears like Hubbard may have done more harm than good by attempting to play through his injury last week rather than sitting out to recover properly.
Initially, Panthers head coach Dave Canales listed Hubbard as “day-to-day” with a calf injury, leaving the chance of him playing in Week 5 open.
Unfortunately for Panthers fans, the diagnosis has altered. According to Panthers beat reporter Joe Person, Hubbard is expected to miss Sunday’s game against the Dolphins and will be on a “week-to-week” basis going forward, implying he may lose even more time after Week 5.
The Panthers’ run attack hasn’t been good with Hubbard this season, averaging only 100.3 yards per game as a team in 2025, ranking sixth lowest in football. However, history demonstrates that this does not necessarily fall on Hubbard, given his track record in Carolina. Hubbard burst out last season, running for 1,195 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2024. Despite the fact that Carolina’s running attack has struggled, Hubbard still leads the team in all-purpose yards this season.
On paper, the Panthers have one of the better backup running backs in sports, with former Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle joining the team this year after posting his own 1,000-yard rushing season in 2024. If there is one silver lining for Panthers supporters in Week 5, it is that they will face a Dolphins defense that has allowed the third-most rushing yards in NFL thus far. So, in Hubbard’s absence, Dowdle and company may be able to discover some ground-level success.