NEW ORLEANS — Chuba Hubbard isn't a big say-stuff guy; he's more of a do-stuff guy.

And Sunday, in a game the Panthers had to win, he did it from start to finish.

"I mean, shoot, he willed that game for us," his best friend on the team, Tommy Tremble, said, and it wasn't an understatement after Hubbard had 172 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-17 win at New Orleans.

Tremble has seen the work for years. Sunday, the tight end who entered in the same draft class saw it coming early in the day, when Hubbard broke character a bit and talked to the entire team about the importance of the moment.

"Dude, he's the heart and soul of this team," Tremble said. "He's a guy that puts work in every single day and it shows up and does the most. He was harping all week; we've got to execute. We've got to do it. He gave a pregame speech and everything, and he put his money where his mouth is, man. It's something that's amazing to see as a leader of this locker room.

"He was talking about this means something to everyone, man. This is something that we've got to go get because we put the work in for it, and he's the guy that puts the work in, and it shows. He didn't just say those empty words. He said it with conviction, and he meant it, and he showed up when it mattered most, and that's something that you can't coach, man.

"It's something that you've just got to do."

And he did it, over and over and over again.

The 32 touches from scrimmage were a ton, but he's willing to carry that load. And on the first go-ahead touchdown drive, he was the only one, other than center Luke Fortner and quarterback Bryce Young, to touch the ball. But they know they can trust him.

"I mean, he's the heart and soul, the heart of everything we do," Young said. "He's that heartbeat, and it's, it's so great to see that come to fruition on Sundays.

"But the way that he carries himself throughout the week, the way that he leads, the way he is on and off the field, practice field, in the locker room, it's just, you know, being able to watch him be him, it's fun having a great, great view of that."

Hubbard's more than just a running back for this team; he's a role model and an object lesson. A fourth-round pick who backed up Christian McCaffrey and wasn't good at catching until he found a favorite Jugs machine (yes, he has a favorite among the four) and spent time with it before and after every practice and three hours before kickoff every Sunday until he was. And when they extended his contract, it was as much for the way he worked as the work he did.

So Sunday was gratifying for all of them.

"It's about wanting to win," Panthers head coach Dave Canales said. "It's about having the willpower, and you've got two teams that are going to show up, and both are prepared to the fullest of their ability. But at the end of the day, it's one-on-one opportunities.

"It's Chuba breaking tackles on checkdowns in the run game, making critical plays because he wants it. And that's the type of mentality it's going to take for us to get to where we want to, a full group with that kind of mentality.

"And I just love that he's one of our leaders. He wanted this one bad. You could tell that. You could see by the way he played."

Of course, getting Hubbard to talk about that is harder.

He thanked, in no particular order, Young, the offensive line, God, and everyone around him.

But make no mistake, this was about him on this day.

"He's the real X factor for this team," left guard Damien Lewis said. "The team knows how much it means to him, and this team means a lot.

"He's going to bring it every game, every week, you know what I'm saying?"

Of course, there are a lot of guys who work hard, but they can't all put a team on their back and carry it the way Hubbard did Sunday.

And for those who see the work, that's his greatest gift, not just the effort.

"I think it's more impressive because he does work his ass off, and it shows out here," right guard Robert Hunt said. "I mean the man is out at practice an hour early, warming his body, getting his body ready. He's a pro. He's a pro's pro. He approached the game the right way. He loved this s---. You can tell he cares about it.

"And he works for the payoff, that's such a testimony for people like anybody, really, even myself, like watching that. It pays off, I mean, I think that's a testimony for anybody."

They said more about him than he did. As they celebrated him, he was self-scouting.

He talked about missing a blitz pickup on that fateful go-ahead drive, and chided himself for that as much as he enjoyed all the plays he made after. Because that's who Chuba Hubbard is.

"I was just playing," he said. "These are the moments I work hard for. We all work hard for, so I just tell myself before every play, shout out to Christian, 'Breathe, focus, explode.' And I was just telling myself to remain calm, and when the play comes, just make it."

And he made it Sunday.

Over and over and over again.

Just like they expect him to.