CHARLOTTE — For Panthers head coach Dave Canales, it's a simple formula, though it has layers.

"Good things happen when you run the ball; you run the ball when good things happen," Canales said. "It works both ways, and it's a part of who we are."

That's as true going into this critical two-game stretch as it has been for as long as they've been playing football in exchange for money. It's not just the act of running that guarantees success, but if you're successful, you're going to end up running. And they want to make sure that stays a part of why they are.

Last week's win over the Bucs was an anomaly, as they had just 20 rushing attempts for a solid 101 yards. That nearly a quarter of it (25 yards to be precise) came on a Jimmy Horn Jr. end around early was instructive, because this was not a conventional rushing game, where you feed Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard, and profit.

Part of that was the way the Buccaneers chose to defend them, but Canales knows he wants to get back to what they believe in late. They average 31.8 rushes per game in their eight wins, and just 23.9 per game in the seven losses.

What a difference a run game makes

"Just take what they give you, and I know I want to run the ball in some way, shape, or form on a weekly basis," he said. "And when we get good matchups, and we feel like we can take advantage of things in the pass game, our guys have continued to grow in that world so that we can do that, and points are points.

"Wanting to get the ball into Rico and Chuba's hands is a priority of mine. Sometimes that happens in the pass game with screens, getting the ball on the perimeter. It could be a checkdown in a pass concept that we feel good about flooding the zone, different things like that. The easiest way is to turn around and hand it to them, certainly, I love, love having that be a part of our game. . . .

"I know I want to have that physical nature; let the linemen get their hands on people and feel those combos and just play a little football. And that's always a part of the early part of our plans is to make sure that those guys get touches."

What he's describing isn't some kind of Christmas miracle.

In fact, it was only three Christmas Eves ago when the Panthers delivered perhaps the most perfect example of this.

On Dec. 24, 2022, a flawed and desperate Panthers team was pushing for an unlikely playoff berth, led by quarterback Sam Darnold. They were facing the then-hot Detroit Lions, with an offense piloted by coordinator Ben Johnson (now the head coach of the now-hot Chicago Bears).

But it was cold that day, 20 degrees at kickoff, and not at all what the visitors who played indoors were interested in being a part of. The fact that the Panthers embodied that old-school football credo would have warmed Canales' heart, only making it more of a holiday special.

As in, 43 carries for 320 yards on the ground kind of special, with D'Onta Foreman putting 165 yards on the board, and Hubbard adding 125 of his own on 12 carries. They may have called the same basic run (known as "duo") about 30 times because the Lions couldn't stop it.

"I mean, it's hard for me to really remember that, that was some years ago," Hubbard said with a laugh. "But I know that was definitely a big win for us. It was definitely a cold game. The field was ice, and it was a big win for us.

"We were trying to get things turned around that year and also make a little run at the time, so yeah, it was definitely a gratifying win."

Hubbard was one of a small group of players left from that season, but they were concentrated in the run game. Left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, right tackle Taylor Moton, right guard Austin Corbett, center Cade Mays (then a backup), and tight end Tommy Tremble were all a part of that historic day, when the Panthers broke a franchise record and the spirt of a Lions team that was also making a push of their own. (The other remnants from that game were Derrick Brown, Jaycee Horn, and JJ Jansen)

Top rushing games in franchise history

(Christmas Eve special edition)

Ask an offensive lineman about that game, and they all break into a grin. For people whose job is to lean on other people and impose their will, that's about as good as it gets.

"That was a good game for us," Ekwonu said with a big smile and an enthusiastic nod. "Yeah, that was definitely a good game. I don't think there's too many better feelings being able to run the ball, establish the run late in the year."

"We just ran the ball, did whatever we wanted," Corbett added. "You just kind of get to the sideline, you're like, huh, we're going to keep doing it, I guess they're not stopping it."

"It was very fun," Moton said, leaning into the memory. "We're running the rock like that and yeah, we're stacking up rushing yards. But ultimately, you know, whenever we can get into victory formation at the end of the game, it doesn't get more fun than that.

"It was fun, just like feeling like we were so in sync. We're a brotherhood out there, like it didn't matter. Just keep smashing it, keep running that rock and just keep taking it one play at a time for real."

And for those who remember that one, there's a lesson about coming down the stretch.

"When a defense can't stop it, when they know what's coming and they can't stop it, it's a very dominant level of football," Mays said. "I think that's what every team strives to do and ultimately it gets you wins in this league.

"I feel like that's what we want to hang our hat on and we've showed it multiple times this year, but, you know, those, those few oddball games where we didn't execute at a higher level. But, ultimately, that's what we want to be every Sunday."

Of course, that 2022 season didn't end the way they hoped, but coming back into that locker room after that game does take them back to what's happening now, with the Panthers in position to go to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

There was a camaraderie late in that season that sustained them as much as the run game. And as the Panthers are building a new culture here, that kind of physical nature and commitment to the basics works for them.

Moton, the second-longest tenured Panther (who, along with Jansen, is the only other one who has played in a playoff game for this team), said he feels a thread of similarity when he thinks about the way the Panthers have run the ball this year and the way they want to.

"Coming back inside after a win, it's a great euphoric feeling," Moton said. "Like all the work you put in for the week, it paid off. I mean, you put yourself through all of that for the game, and it paid off for the win. And being able to see all the smiles on the faces of everyone who worked so hard, who deserve all the accolades and all that's coming their way after a game like that.

"So, after seeing Chuba then, after seeing Rico rush for 100-plus this year, I'm happy for them because I see how much they work, how hard they work week in and week out, and you're happy you can be a part of it and see that success."

Of course, there was no fairy tale ending in 2022, as Horn suffered a broken wrist late in that Lions game, and the Buccaneers clinched the division the following week when Bucs wideout Mike Evans (covered by a bunch of non-Jaycee Horns and Mike Jacksons) went for 207 yards and three touchdowns.

Coming that close stung, which is why, as the Panthers approach this playoff push, they carry those memories with them.

"I learned how bad it hurts to be so close and not achieve your goals," Moton said. "I learned the pain, you know, and I learned how I don't want to feel like that again towards the end of the season, right?

"But ultimately I learned how good we can be, so every game I go out there, win, lose, or draw, I learn a lesson of some sort, and you just keep stacking them."