Despite blowout, Panthers sticking with 2-back rotation 

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Rico Dowdle rushed for 54 yards on eight carries in the Carolina Panthers' 40-9 loss to the Buffalo Bills Oct. 26, 2025 at Bank of America Stadium.

Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales didn’t alter his offensive game plan, despite Sunday’s lopsided 40-9 loss to the Buffalo Bills. 

The running back rotation the Panthers deployed the past two weeks made its home debut. It didn’t leave much of an impression, but not much they attempted worked with backup quarterback Andy Dalton starting for injured Bryce Young (ankle). The Panthers’ top running backs, Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle, combined for 88 yards rushing on 20 carries. Dowdle paced the duo with 54 yards on eight attempts, a 6.75 yards per carry average. Hubbard, the starter, managed 34 yards on 12 carries for a pedestrian 2.8 average. 

In the two games since Canales introduced the running back rotation, the duo registered 218 yards combined. In the two previous games, Dowdle handled the workload solo and collected 386 yards, including a 203-yard effort against the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 5. 

With the Panthers’ three-game winning streak snapped, Canales remains steadfast – for now. 

“I like the plan,” he said. “I’m just looking for execution.” 

Dowdle: ‘“I’m not really sure what happened’ 

Making his first start of the season, Dalton, a 15-year veteran, committed three turnovers (two fumbles), which led directly to 17 Buffalo points.  

“Unfortunatley, we did not play anywhere near the type of football we know we’re capable of playing,” Dalton said. “You can say it was a measuring stick. We didn’t give ourselves a chance. I didn’t give this team a chance." 

In the postgame locker room, Dowdle waved reporters away, saying he needed to see the trainer. When he returned about 10 minutes later, he tried to rush out the door.  

When he finally paused, Dowdle was short on words. 

“I’m not really sure what happened,” he said. “We just have to watch the film.” 

When asked if he favored the rotation next at Green Bay next week, he went with the company line. 

“I’m in a groove with the rotation,” Dowdle said. “The score got lopsided, so a different game played out.” 

Over the course of the Panthers’ opening 10 possessions against the Bills (5-2), Hubbard, who signed a four-year, $33 million contract extension last November, and Dowdle, who inked a one-year, free-agent deal in the offseason, alternated series. Rookie Trevor Etienne played the final possession. 

On the flip side, the Bills’ James Cook III collected a career-high 216 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns in three quarters. It’s the most rushing yardage the Panthers (4-4) have surrendered to a single back in a game. Cook gained 168 yards before contact. 

“Give a lot of credit to the Bills,” Canales said. “What they did in the running game was unbelievable. James Cook had a fantastic day. Big runs. They consistently owned the line of scrimmage, and we were not able to get the run game going. Turnovers happened and it made it a real challenging situation for us.” 

Panthers fall short in measuring-stick matchup 

So much for a pivotal game for a franchise that has not qualified for the playoffs since 2017. This week, NFL insiders questioned if the Pathers (4-4) were legitimate playoff contenders. 

The questions will linger. 

“We look at it as one game,” Canales said. “There’s a lot of good football in our rearview mirror. We have to keep our focus right here, right now. Get back to fundamentals.” 

And attempt to block out Sunday’s rout. 

“We have to wash this one away and not let it affect us,” defensive lineman Derrick Brown said. 

Brown, who missed all but one half of play in 2024 with a knee injury, departed in the fourth quarter with a sore knee, but was later cleared by doctors. Canales said he expected Brown to practice on Wednesday. 

Coming off a bye week, the Bills entered Sunday ranked No. 31 in rushing yards allowed (156.3). In their previous outing, Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson ran 170 yards. The Panthers, who lost three offensive linemen Sunday, failed to generate much running room for Hubbard and Dowdle. 

Tackle Taylor Moton (knee), center Joe Mayes (ankle) and guard Brady Christensen (Achilles) suffered injuries. Christensen is expected to miss the rest of the season. 

“We’ll see how this whole thing shakes out, the extent of everything,” Dalton said. “We have to find ways to get the job done. We have depth. We’re fortunate we have a lot of guys who have played a lot of ball. It doesn’t stop for injuries. We have to keep going.” 

Hubbard may not have been effective as a runner, but he showed hustle when Dalton directed a screen pass to Bills defensive end A.J. Epenesa, who returned the interception to 24 yards before Hubbard tracked him down at the 1. Josh Allen scored on the next play as the Bills started to pull away 19-3 with 1:48 in the first half. 

Canales plans on sticking with the running back rotation, but how much longer can he deny Dowdle additional opportunities? 

“That’s something to look at,” Canales said. “We have to look at our schemes and personnel to see who gives us a better chance to win.” 

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