A slew of injuries have caused the Carolina Panthers to make do in recent weeks. And unfortunately, they just had to make do against one of the toughest matchups you can find in the NFL right now.
So, let’s try to dive into some of their most notable and telling snap counts from Sunday’s 42-21 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
The Hubbard Microscope
With starter Miles Sanders out due to a shoulder injury, Chuba Hubbard was put under the microscope in Week 6—and he was very much seen in his magnified role.
The third-year runner played in 77 percent of the offense’s snaps. He used his 53 looks to amass 88 yards, a season-high for any Panthers rusher, and a touchdown off 19 carries.
Hubbard is now averaging a solid 4.5 yards per carry to Sanders’ paltry 3.1. So he should, even when Sanders is healthy, be getting more chances in this struggling offense.
Raheem Blackshear, who saw his first bit of on-field action since Week 1, took up the majority of the leftovers out of the backfield. He tallied 18 rushing yards on five attempts over 12 snaps.
Remembering Terrace Marshall
After being forgotten by head coach Frank Reich last week, wideout Terrace Marshall Jr. got back on the field. Unfortunately, he didn’t do much with the limited opportunity.
The former second-round pick saw 22 snaps on Sunday, 22 more than the previous game. He put up a zero in the catch column, with three targets and a drop.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer recently mentioned Marshall Jr. as one of three players who could be on Carolina’s trading block. If true, this latest outing didn’t do much for the potential seller, the potential buyers or Marshall Jr. himself.
Safety Dance
The Panthers certainly weren’t shy to let safety Matthias Farley loose, even in his first game on defense.
Farley played 63 snaps, tied for the third-highest mark on the unit alongside cornerback Donte Jackson. But the eighth-year veteran wasn’t all too effective, at least according to Pro Football Focus, as he registered the second-lowest defensive grade for Carolina (29.5) while missing a team-high five tackles.
Hopefully, the bye week will do wonders for starters Vonn Bell and Xavier Woods.
