The Carolina Panthers are beginning to look like a new team. After that exciting 30-27 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, Carolina is at 3-3, crawling back to even after a rollercoaster start to the season. Even in their comeback, team leader Derrick Brown made it very clear this week that there’s a problem that continues to plague the Panthers that they need to confront head-on.

Speaking before Carolina’s Week 7 matchup with winless New York Jets, Brown did not mince words when discussing his team’s inconsistency, particularly on the road.

“We’ve been in the same situation,” Brown said. “We’d be fools to sit here and think they’re just going to lay down…Our problem the whole time has been on the road this year, so we gotta be able to go fight our own demon as well.”

The Carolina Panthers have been a different team at home versus on the road this season. They are unbeaten at home with a 3-0 record but have struggled on the road, going 0-3.

Brown’s sentiments reflect a major in-house priority for the Panthers. While their work at home has been solid, they’ve failed to bring that same rhythm to the road. On the road, Carolina’s defense has given up an average of 27 points a game compared to only 18 at home. Their failure to stay calm and control the ball away from Charlotte has been a weakness, one that the team recognizes it must correct before facing an ailing Jets roster.

The Panthers’ win keys begin and conclude with their backfield. Led by running backs Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle, Carolina has leaned on its run game to build offensive balance. Dowdle in his past two games; the sixth-year running back has gained 389 yards on the ground and scored two touchdowns with his added contributions on passes. His added versatility has given quarterback Bryce Young some breathing space and rhythm in the short passing game.

With Hubbard probably coming back from his calf injury this week, Carolina can unleash a two-headed rushing game. The Jets’ defense, one that has struggled miserably against the run, could have a long night if both backs are available. The challenge will be converting that efficiency on the road, where Carolina’s offense has not yet gotten in rhythm at the same speed.

For the Jets, the path to victory is simple: begin hot. They have yet to have a first-half touchdown since Week 1 and have often had to dig out of holes. In front of a Panthers offense with a strong arm, any early deficit would have them in quicksand.

Ultimately, this game could be decided by one defining battle: Carolina’s run game against New York’s front seven. The Jets managed to slow Denver’s high-powered run game in Week 6, but that was a different test compared to stopping Dowdle and Hubbard.

While Derrick Brown has been calling for accountability and consistency, head coach Dave Canales is faced with a challenge of a different sort, one that most coaches would be happy to have.

Dave Canales’ RB dilemma

With Rico Dowdle’s record-breaking streak of production, Canales was asked point-blank on Monday if the Panthers plan to start Dowdle over now-healthy Chuba Hubbard.

The answer provided a glimpse of both compliment and strategy. Canales didn’t do it directly, but his tone was admiring of what Dowdle has contributed to the offense. And all the veteran back has done is something not often seen in franchise history, and in the NFL at all.

“Every time Rico touches the ball, he changes the tone of the drive,” Canales said this week, implying Dowdle’s value may not be reduced by Hubbard’s return. “You want to reward production — and he’s earned that.” In the game with the Cowboys, Dowdle rushed for 183 yards on 30 carries and added 56 receiving yards with a touchdown through the air. When asked pointedly whether Chubba will start over Rico, the answer was a plain “We’ll see.” Which means the coach is undecided as of now.

Rico’s production has not gone unobserved league-wide. Dowdle is the NFL’s third-ranked rusher entering Monday night’s doubleheader, and he’s a leading candidate for his second straight NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor. For a Panthers rushing attack that was among the league’s worst a month ago, Dowdle’s emergence has been revolutionary.

Along the way, Dowdle also shattered the franchise record for most scrimmage yards in a two-game span with 473 overall. His breakout has not only altered Carolina’s offense identity but also created an unexpected running back controversy heading into midseason.

Even in their rise, though, Canales and Brown see that the Panthers are a work in progress. The offense is more balanced now, but the passing game still lacks a proven secondary threat other than first-year wideout Tetairoa McMillan. Defensively, the Panthers’ upgrading against the run has been commendable, but their lack of pass rush, with five sacks through six games, remains a liability.

Canales has insisted that things have to improve, especially if Carolina is going to keep up with NFC heavyweights late in the year this season. “We’ve shown we can fight back,” Canales said. “Now we’ve got to show we can sustain it — week after week, no matter where we play.”

The former tempts the team’s mettle; the latter shapes its character. Together, they create the tone for a Carolina team that doesn’t just want to win, but prove it can keep winning.