Three NFL players have posted 165-or-more scrimmage yards in three-plus games this year: Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Chuba Hubbard. The Panthers’ running back added another chapter to one of the league’s best stories on Tuesday, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week. He joined AFC winner Jonathan Taylor from the Colts in capturing the league’s weekly offensive honors.
Hubbard, Carolina’s fourth-round selection in the 2021 draft, registered 165 scrimmage yards and two rushing touchdowns, including the game-ending, 21-yard score in overtime of the Panthers’ 36-30 win over Arizona last week. He also racked up 152 yards on 25 carries to earn his first career Player of the Week honor. He joins an elite group of Oklahoma State products, Hall of Famers Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas, as the program’s only running backs to win the weekly honor in the NFL. Sanders won the award 11 times while Thomas captured it on five occasions.
A Canada native, Hubbard this season has established career highs in scrimmage yards (1,366), rushing yards (1,195) and rushing TDs (10). He leads the Panthers (4-11) on the road with an opportunity to spoil the playoff hopes of the Buccaneers (8-7) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
Taylor also is a fantastic story because he answered a heartbreaking fumble from the prior week with 218 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries (7.5 avg.) to lead Indianapolis to a 38-30 victory over Tennessee. The honor is the third of Taylor’s career after securing the award in Week 11 of 2021 and Week 10 of 2022. Taylor and the Colts (7-8) are still alive in the AFC playoff race and headed east to face the New York Giants (2-13) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FOX).
For more information on the Panthers and Colts, visit the Carolina and Indianapolis team pages at ProFootballPost.com.
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