CHARLOTTE — Chuba Hubbard knows himself. He knows what it takes to get himself ready for game day, where on the field he can help his team, his strengths, and his weaknesses. It's that last one that can get him in trouble with himself at times, such as when he pushed to come back from a calf injury too soon earlier this season.

"I think in all honesty, like, I'm a competitor and when I came back from my calf, I wasn't maybe quite where I wanted to be," admitted Hubbard on Tuesday as he reflected on the road to return to form. "Obviously, in the league you're never gonna be 100 percent. I just want to be there for my team, so maybe rushed it back a little sooner than I should have, which is my own doing.

"I mean, I'm bad at that. I've always been."

It was a lesson he learned about himself last year as well.

"When I had my injury last year, I obviously wanted to finish the season, but they were looking out for me. The team, like I said, always has the players' best interests, which is something I appreciate because that's not always the case.

"But yeah, I'm a competitor. I want to be out there. I want to play. I want to be there with my team. So, yeah, you just, you live and learn."

Knowing and doing can be two different things, with your mind telling you to slow down while your heart says get back out there. And as Hubbard watched from the sideline in street clothes for two weeks, then still in uniform to an extent as the Panthers rode (and continue to ride) the hot hand of Rico Dowdle, the longtime Panther saw something being built that he was determined to be a part of.

So he pushed himself through pain—which was to be expected—but also past where his calf could go.

"Maybe just feeling a little off," he said of the experience after returning in Week 7. "I kind of had—not to get into the details of what exactly was going on with my calf, but I had a few different things going on with it. And it was just kind of hard to explain some of the stuff that I was dealing with."

Still, he was signed to a new deal last year with the intention of being a pillar in this team moving forward, and the veteran back was committed to being that again.

"Obviously, you always want to help your team win, and then when your team's winning, being a part of that is fun," said Hubbard. "It's something we've been trying to build here in Carolina for a while, since obviously I've gotten here, and even before then. So to see that, like I said, come to fruition and see it happening before us now, it's special. So, we're just going to keep building off this and continue to just be who we are."

Having Dowdle run the way he has been (he's currently fourth in the league with 833 yards) allowed the team room and time for Hubbard to recover to his full health. On Sunday against the Falcons, he averaged 5.3 yards a carry, his best of the season.

"Throughout the last few weeks, just kind of been trying to get back to 100 percent and feeling better," said Hubbard of the journey to here. "Regardless, I think the O-line played great, and their job blocking up front is what led to the good plays."

The Panthers didn't have to run a lot on Sunday, as Bryce Young picked apart the league's No. 1 passing defense to the tune of a franchise-record 448 passing yards. Dowdle even had more receiving yards than he did rushing. When Hubbard got the ball, though, even for just a handful of carries, he felt more like himself than he had in weeks, with a burst that hadn't been present since his injury.

"Over the last few weeks, it's definitely gotten better and just kind of continue to build my confidence off that," said Hubbard.

And the timing couldn't be better. The Panthers are headed to the West Coast for a Monday Night Football showdown with the 49ers, as both teams make a playoff push late in the season. It's the kind of year Hubbard has dreamed of being a part of since he was drafted here in 2021.

"In all honesty, like I've prayed for this moment, this year so many times. To be here and see what we're building is special," expressed Hubbard.

"A lot of these guys that's been here with me and even before me, know all the work we've put in throughout the years, the highs and the lows, so to be able to see that the process is working, all the work we put in is working, it feels good seeing the success of all our guys and just the team as a whole; it's a great feeling. It's something that is deserved.

"These guys have been working their asses off for a long time, so glad to see all our work come to fruition."