Panthers star Chuba Hubbard answers for his lethal fumble in overtime loss

Hubbard's overtime fumble was the defining moment of Sunday's loss.

Matt Alquiza | 2 Hours Ago

Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

Chuba Hubbard is far from the singular scapegoat from the Carolina Panthers overtime loss on Sunday evening. The star running back's overtime fumble proved costly, but in his defense, Carolina should have never needed overtime to take down Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers.

Two missed Eddy Piñero field goals, a hapless run defense, and soft coverage on Tampa Bay's game-tying drive at the end of regulation forced the extra period, setting the stage for Hubbard's error.

Hubbard leadership was on full display post game. Instead of shying away from the media following the loss, he stood in front of his locker on Sunday night and shouldered the blame for his fumble.

"I mean everybody has had my back, lifted me up, supported me. But at the end of the day I hold myself to a high standard. We're trying to change things here and that's not helping anything. I've got to be better like I said, and all I can do is just work. It happened, and I've just go to grow from it and keep moving forward. I'm not going to have my head down, I'm just going to keep doing what I always do and work hard."

No excuses. No pointing the finger. Just straight accountability from Hubbard for what went wrong in Sunday's loss.

When Hubbard inked his long-term contract extension earlier this season, folks around the organization lauded his leadership skills and professionalism as merit for the contract. His on-field performance is the main reason for the lucrative deal, but his off-the-field exploits factored into the conversation as well.

Sunday's fumble was a dark moment in a shining season for Hubbard, but his unwavering confidence makes it safe to expect him to tote the rock confidently next week when Carolina travels to Philadelphia to take on the 11-2 Eagles.