Are we witnessing a real step forward for the Carolina Panthers?

Well, it feels like it—as the team has won three of their last four games, including back-to-back triumphs in Weeks 5 and 6.

So, what’s next here in Week 7?

Let’s exaine our biggest storylines for Sunday’s matchup at the Meadowlands against the New York Jets . . .

Balancing the backfield

Running back Rico Dowdle took the NFL by storm during the two-game absence of backfield mate Chuba Hubbard. The sixth-year veteran amassed a whopping 473 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns in a pair of wins and now, seemingly out of nowhere, enters Week 7 as the league’s third-leading rusher.

That outrageous output has complicated the impending reinsertion of Hubbard, who is set to return on Sunday. The Panthers, in the midst of Dowdle’s emergence, may be forced to have their usual starter take a backseat—or at least less work—moving forward.

But what if this is actually a good problem in Carolina?

The Panthers have quite a history of thriving off the backs of, well, two backs. They did it with Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster from 2003 to 2005, with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart from 2008 to 2014, and most recently, with Hubbard and D’Onta Foreman in 2022.

So, why not try it again? Instead of choosing or leaning heavily towards one effective rusher, why not just go with both?

While Hubbard may be eased in off his calf strain, Sunday will give us our first look at how head coach and offensive play-caller Dave Canales could balance this duo. And in the end, as defensive lineman Derrick Brown so eloquently put it on Thursday, the chatter around who the lead dog is could all be just “BS.”

Settling the edge

Carolina’s defense took a big hit this week, as the team announced season-ending back surgery for starting outside linebacker Pat Jones II. And Jones, in his first season with the team, was more than just an edge presence.

“He was doing a heck of a job,” defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero said of Jones on Thursday. “The ability to play inside, on pass-rush situations, to play on the edge, just the play style he has, the physicality, the effort, the intelligence, what he means in that room—all those things are, obviously, gonna be missed.

“But that’s the nature of what we do, and it’s next man up. So the guys that are coming in now have to assume those responsibilities and have to be able to produce.”

The next man up, at least in Jones’ starting role, is likely to be rookie Nic Scourton. The second-round pick has already tallied two starts, but has yet to notch his first NFL sack.

He’ll be helped by fellow 2025 pick Princely Umanmielen, who has totaled five pressures over six contests.

Although they’ve improved from their horrific 2024 campaign, the Panthers defense has struggled to get home on opposing quarterbacks—having tallied a league-low five sacks. Scourton, Umanmielen and starter D.J. Wonnum could have their chances against a Jets offense that is currently tied for the most sacks allowed (25).

Taking care of business

The Panthers might’ve finally turned a corner.

Last week’s win over the Cowboys pulled them to 3-3, marking their first .500 record since Week 10 of the 2021 campaign. They’ve also looked the part of a competent team as well, functioning rather smoothly on offense and picking up timely stops on defense.

Canales and crew can prove that their two-game winning streak is no fluke by taking care of business in New York (actually, New Jersey) on Sunday.

The Jets are, well, Jets’ing—as the growing pains of a first-year head coach and the continued hiccups of starting quarterback Justin Fields have headlined a dysfunctional 0-6 start. Plus, they probably won’t have their star wideout Garrett Wilson—who has been listed as doubtful with a knee injury.

To prove that they’re no joke, the Panthers must pounce—and convincingly so.

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