Breaking down Panther’s backfield usage in Week 7

Final Update: Foreman finished with 15 carries for 118 yards. Some context there is he picked up 60 yards on one carry, and then Hubbard left with an injury about halfway through the fourth quarter. He had two receptions for 27 yards.

Hubbard had nine carries for 63 yards and a touchdown. He brought in two of his three targets for 10 additional yards.

Week 7 of the NFL season has already been one of the wildest of the season. During the fourth quarter of the Thursday Night Football game, it was announced that the Carolina Panthers were trading RB Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers. It was announced before kickoff that Chuba Hubbard would be the starting running back for Week 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. D’Onta Foreman and Raheem Blackshear are the backups.

Carolina Panthers RB usage in Week 7 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Through the first quarter, Hubbard had five carries for 22 yards. Foreman had only one carry for three yards, and Blackshear hasn’t registered a carry. None of the running backs have been targeted by quarterback fill-in PJ Walker so far in the game.

The second quarter didn’t fair much better for the running backs. Hubbard heads into halftime with seven carries for 33 yards, while Foreman has two carries for four yards. Hubbard remains without a target as Foreman brought in both of his targets for 27 yards. The edge seems to still be with Hubbard, but we will have to see if Carolina leans on Foreman in the passing game in the second half.