Panthers ride run game and defense to first place

Chuba Hubbard has shown he can carry a heavy load, and he did, with 27 carries for 92 yards and five catches for 80 yards.

He also had 29- and 33-yard receptions on what appeared to be a decisive drive, on which he was the only Panthers player to touch the ball (other than center Luke Fortner and Bryce Young, of course).

He capped it with a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:49 left, at which point he had 172 of the team’s 283 yards from scrimmage.

But the Saints still had a breath, and drove for a 55-yard field goal by kicker Charlie Smyth, to tie the game with 41 seconds left.

But that left time, and after a long Saints pass interference call, Fitzgerald calmly hit a 54-yarder, his second 50-plus on a day when he missed from 48 yards.