The Panthers don’t let Chuba Hubbard’s fumble dictate his impact

There are many pitches and missed opportunities that can be cited as the reason the Panthers lost their ninth game of the season on Sunday. missed field goals and settled for field goals in the red zone; a defense hurt in the run game and calls that will be talked about for a while. But Hubbard’s blunder will undoubtedly be the point that stings most when looking back on the loss.

With just over 30 seconds left in regulation, the Panthers scored the go-ahead touchdown. The Bucs then pushed the ball offside, scored a game-winning field goal and sent the game into overtime. Once there, the defense held Tampa Bay to a field goal attempt that missed from 55 yards. That meant the next score won the game.

Carolina flipped field position on their possession thanks to a one-handed catch by Adam Thielen that will be in the debate for the best catch of the week, if not the year. On the next play, Hubbard took the handoff and rushed 4 yards up the middle before fumbling.

“Fundamentals,” coach Dave Canales said of the game’s message. “Just take care of the ball, you know what you’ve got, you’ve got your mileage there, ok, lock it up like we discussed, just the basics. He would be the first to come here and tell you the same thing.”