Panthers have the 3rd leading rusher in NFL

[Pantherxtreme]

Rico Dowdle now has 551 yards that's 3rd in the NFL only behind the Colts Jonathon Taylor 697 yards and Cowboys Javonte Williams 592 yards.

His 5.6 yards a carry is higher than any other running back in the top ten in rushing. 

On the season 

Dowdle: 5.6 yards a carry

Hubbard: 3.7 yards a carry

Maybe next game this guy should be in the backfield when the Panthers offense takes the field so we can set the tone early in the running game.

It makes no sense for struggling offense as the Panthers to view that type of production as a luxury. 

 

[Khyber53]

Don't get me wrong, I love Chuba, but Rico has been earning the starting job. Now they just need to properly game plan for using a double trouble set up.

 

[TN05]

Rico Dowdle had 18 touches on Sunday, which is still a lot. For comparison, he had 26 in the Miami game and 34 in the Dallas game, and he was getting so many touches in the last one he was cramping hard. 

I'm by no means against giving him more touches than Chuba, he's earned it, but it's not like we didn't use him. 17 carries is as many as we gave Chuba when he started in the Atlanta game.

[Shotgun]

The only guy in the NFL that can stop Rico is Canales. 

[LinvilleGorge]

I'm a proponent of riding the hot hand. Rico is clearly the hot hand right now. That could change over the course of the season and Chuba could get hot and we ride him. But either way give the guy who is producing the majority of the touches.

[Lurk21]

Canales keeps trying to talk about execution  and went out his way to say Chubba sprung 1 but he also put us in 2nd and 9 way often. Rico had us ahead of the sticks more often if they going by analytics.  Rico sets the tone... then let Chubba come in and get yardage off a wore down defense. It dont got to be harder than he making it. Chubba is a Captain and a real captain knows when to step aside while someone is hot. 

Edited October 20, 2025 by Lurk21

[Pantherxtreme]

1 minute ago, TN05 said:

Rico Dowdle had 18 touches on Sunday, which is still a lot. For comparison, he had 26 in the Miami game and 34 in the Dallas game, and he was getting so many touches in the last one he was cramping hard. 

I'm by no means against giving him more touches than Chuba, he's earned it, but it's not like we didn't use him. 17 carries is as many as we gave Chuba when he started in the Atlanta game.

He came off the bench he should have been in the game from the start, he was coming off a historic 2 game run you ride that momentum and see what happens.

That rotating series b.s is just cute it's not how football is played and won.

Chuba can spell Rico but why force 50-50 split when the production isnt split?

[jtm]

Chuba is a key leader on this team and he needs to give Chuba an opportunity to keep the starting job and this is the right way to handle this.  We can all see that Rico is a better back at the moment and he's going to win the starting job, but he needs to win if fair and square with both backs battling it out and not when a guy is injured.  Two backs going 110% to be the starter is a good thing.  

[Chaos]

Canales trying to make things fair and even to keep the RB’s happy speaks to the type of coach he is. He’s known as a player’s coach and I guess his goal is to be liked by the players. 
 

That being said, I think the best coaches play who is performing the best regardless, and there shouldn’t be any guarantee that injury won’t prevent you from losing your starting job. 
 

 

[Pantherxtreme]

Just now, jtm said:

Chuba is a key leader on this team and he needs to give Chuba an opportunity to keep the starting job and this is the right way to handle this.  We can all see that Rico is a better back at the moment and he's going to win the starting job, but he needs to win if fair and square with both backs battling it out and not when a guy is injured.  Two backs going 110% to be the starter is a good thing.  

Save the dramatics for the soap operas this is professional sports.

When Mile Sanders was the penciled starter I wanted Chuba who was outperforming him to get the bulk of the carries, now the script has been flipped.

On any other team who's sole purpose is to win Rico would have already earned the starting role. But on the teams that flounder more times than not it's front office and business decisions trump what's happening on the field. 

[Waldo]

Just face it, this team doesn't understand what 'earned a starting job' is or how to handle it. Now feelings is obviously what they focus on in personnel decisions. 

[Joe Bear]

He was third in the league after last week, until MNF at least.

[Castavar]

Just now, jtm said:

Chuba is a key leader on this team and he needs to give Chuba an opportunity to keep the starting job and this is the right way to handle this.  We can all see that Rico is a better back at the moment and he's going to win the starting job, but he needs to win if fair and square with both backs battling it out and not when a guy is injured.  Two backs going 110% to be the starter is a good thing.  

I'm sorry I disagree. You don't risk losing a game to fulfill football politics. The amount of times yesterday Chuba had us in 2nd and long really hurt the team. And if not for the Jets being complete ass, we could have lost that game. At the very least, Dowdle should not be coming off the bench. 

[Shotgun]

9 minutes ago, jtm said:

Chuba is a key leader on this team and he needs to give Chuba an opportunity to keep the starting job and this is the right way to handle this.  We can all see that Rico is a better back at the moment and he's going to win the starting job, but he needs to win if fair and square with both backs battling it out and not when a guy is injured.  Two backs going 110% to be the starter is a good thing.  

That's great if you don't care about winning.  If you do, you start the best players every time. If you don't want to lose your job because of injury, don't get injured.