NFL Update: On Chuba Hubbard Sharing the Load in Carolina and Jaylen Warren’s Worth in Pittsburgh’s Passing Game

The NFL’s Week 7 has come and gone. Let’s take a look around the league to see how some former Pokes fared.

Chuba Now Sharing the Load

Chuba is back, but now he might have to give up some of his touches.

Chuba Hubbard has been RB1 in Carolina since Christian McCaffrey was traded to San Francisco in 2022. He turned in 902 yards and five TDs in 2023 and then a career-high 1,195 and 10 scores last season.

But when a calf injury sidelined Hubbard for Weeks 5 and 6, the Panthers turned to Rico Dowdle who signed a one-year deal this offseason. In Hubbard’s absence, Dowdle racked up games of 206 and 183 yards which landed on the Pro Bowl ballot for the Twitter yokels.

According to a report from NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Panthers’ coaching staff has now pivoted to employing a true two-rusher approach to take advantage of both talents.

Hubbard, who averaged a career-high 79.7 rushing per game last year, is now at 49.6 per game while Dowdle has taken his place as the top rusher, currently averaging 78.7.  Chuba had been dealing with a calf injury but is a full-go.

The Panthers rank second in the NFL at 140.1 rushing yards per game. They finished 18th last year at 110.5.

We’ll see how that two-headed RB system plays out at the season continues, and how it affects Chuba’s standing long-term. Next up, the Panthers host Buffalo at noon on Sunday.

Jaylen Warren (Still There for A-Rod)

The former Cowboys tailback continues to be an asset for new Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, whether he’s taking handoffs or not.

The Steelers lost on the road on Thursday to divisional rival Cincinnati, but the former Cowboy running still made some plays that might not end up on his YouTube highlight reel.

#Steelers Jaylen Warren had multiple receptions in the first half where he beat Bengals defenders 1-on-1 or 1-on-2 after the catch for yardage. pic.twitter.com/CJPZtXqywM

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) October 19, 2025

For the second straight week, Warren had a nice play in pass protection, once again coming to Aaron Rodgers’ rescue.

One of the reasons Jaylen Warren is PFF’s highest graded Steeler right now.

🟩 70.0 – Pass Blocking
🟦 84.9 – Rushing
🟦 89.4 – Receiving
🟦 90.0 – Overall Grade pic.twitter.com/IpwL3FJQBV

— All-22 (@All22_PFF) October 17, 2025

Warren will be busy protecting his new QB when the Steelers host Rodgers’ former team Green Bay at 7:20 p.m. CST on Sunday.

Zac Robinson’s Offense Hits a Wall

The Falcons have had some success moving the ball with the former Oklahoma State QB and current OSU coaching candidate calling plays. But they hit a bit of a wall in the Bay.

Aside from a head-scratching 30-0 loss to Carolina in Week 3, the Falcons had scored at least 20 in each game this year coming in. They scored just 10 points in the loss at San Fran, though they did rack up 292 yards of total offense.

The Falcons offense will try to get right when the host the Miami Dolphins with their 30th ranked team defense at noon on Sunday.

Week 7 Stats

Jaylen Warren (Steelers): rushed for 127 yards and caught four passes for 31 yards in Pittsburgh’s TNF loss at Cincinnati.

Chuba Hubbard (Panthers): rushed for 31 yards and caught three passes for 24 yards in Carolina’s 42-13 loss at New England.

Ollie Gordon (Dolphins): rushed for 11 yards and caught one pass in Miami’s 31-6 loss at Cleveland.

Nick Martin (49ers): made his NFL debut during the San Francisco’s 20-10 win over the Falcons. He did not record an official stat, but I saw him and heard Mike Tirico credit him with a nice hit on the final punt return by Atlanta.