The state of the Panthers’ running backs after two injury scares and one late scratch

If you need a pulse-check on the Carolina Panthers — winners of two straight after their overtime victory over the New York Giants on Sunday — look no further than the team’s running back room.

And then breathe a big sigh of relief that the bye is coming up.

The Panthers (3-7) have a long list of injuries to parse through as they recover and prepare for the Kansas City Chiefs (9-0) at home 14 days after their 20-17 win in Germany. The most pressing area of assessment will be among the running backs — which spearheaded a vital part of an offense that produced 188 yards and one touchdown rushing.

Three of the team’s four running backs that were on the 53-man roster on Sunday had cause for concern via injury. Those guys were Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders and Jonathon Brooks. (The only one who didn’t was Raheem Blackshear, who still has yet to take a handoff this year and has contributed almost solely as a kick and punt returner.)

Head coach Dave Canales offered injury updates Monday on Hubbard, Sanders and Brooks.

▪ Hubbard. The Panthers’ leading rusher and player who’s signed through 2028 after a big contract extension last week had a day to remember. He ran for a career-high 153 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. His performance earned him a nomination for FedEx Air & Ground Player of the Week — only the second Panther to earn such a nomination this season (Andy Dalton after Week 3).

The fourth-round 2021 draft pick, however, did exit the game with a brief injury after his leg bent behind him on a second-half run that resulted in a fumble. Hubbard used the word “dislocation” postgame when describing what happened on the play — even after he re-entered the game a few plays later. Canales, however, was succinct in his update on Hubbard.

“It’s good,” Canales said. “He checked out well on the sideline. Came back in and finished the game. He’s good to go.”

▪ Miles Sanders. The Panthers second-string speedster was carted off the field on Sunday with an ankle injury. Canales told reporters that “we know it’s an ankle/foot” and that “he’s seeing a specialist.” The timeline wasn’t immediately available to the coach.

▪ Brooks. The rookie who was activated to the 53-man roster last week but was held out of playing — an extra precaution as the team tries to weigh his readiness coming off an ACL tear last November.

“A lot of factors,” Canales said. “Watched him progress throughout the week and really just felt like it wasn’t time yet. And so now we have two weeks before we play our next game to be able to just get him in tip-top shape. We gotta see where Miles is at, but then we can make the decision going from there.”

And the running back room is just the start of it: The team needs Adam Thielen to get back off IR. There’s Ickey Ekwonu, who missed his second straight week with an ankle injury. There are others.

Considering all this — even with the team’s momentum rolling after two wins in back-to-back weeks — is the bye a good thing?

“It’s a great question,” Canales said. “You love momentum. You love to build off of successes. But at the same time, at this point, we have guys coming back to us that we were counting on. You got Jordan Fuller popped back in there. You got DJ Wonnum. Jonathon Brooks now on the team. We got Adam Thielen. We got (Amare) Barno, getting ready to open up his window at some point. So we have some guys we’re excited about seeing. Jaden Crumedy, a rookie, sixth round pick. So there’s a lot of excitement.

“But at the same time it gives us a chance to evaluate the guys that have been playing for us and to appreciate what they’ve brought to our team. So there’s some important decisions for us to make right now. And with 10 games, it gives us a chance from an offense, defense and special teams standpoint do a good start-stop-continue exercise about schemes and things that fit our players.”

Quick hits

▪ Canales remained non-committal about who will start at quarterback against the Kansas City Chiefs — as well as if Bryce Young is the starter indefinitely — as he has in previous weeks. That question will likely linger until next Wednesday, when Canales traditionally names the starter.

▪ Charles Harris, who came into Sunday tied for the team’s lead in sacks at 3, was inactive on Sunday. He was replaced by DJ Wonnum, who had a great debut with Carolina. Harris was brought in to help a much-needed pass rush as Wonnum’s return was delayed by life-threatening setbacks.

▪ Starting linemen Cade Mays and Taylor Moton, as well as Canales, were asked about the slickness of the field at Allianz Arena. Moton acknowledged it was “a slicker field” but that it was nothing the team was unprepared for. Mays and Canales both said the field didn’t pose anything out of the ordinary.