CHARLOTTE – Put on your all-black and hop in the car; we're headed back to the '90s. The Carolina Panthers have blacked out the endzones, complete with original cursive font, and placed the original logo at midfield, which Dom Capers said he was looking forward to seeing this week.

While the fields will look incredible—which they do—what happens on the field is what really determines how the day goes. The Panthers (3-7) are coming off back-to-back wins, taking on the back-to-back Super Bowl champs, the Kansas City Chiefs (9-1), who are coming off their first loss of the season.

"They do everything it seems right at times. But we're a hungry team as well," running back Chuba Hubbard said this week. "Obviously, great opponent, but challenge accepted."

With those immortal words, here are five things to watch in the matchup.

An immovable object meets an unstoppable force

The immovable object in this scenario is the Chiefs defensive front, who is third in the league in rushing defense. The unit is holding teams to a mere 85.3 yards per game on the ground. It starts with Chris Jones, who has five tackles for loss and a team-leading three sacks.

"We got to know where 95 is, obviously," offensive guard Robert Hunt said of Jones. "But it's a really tight group that's been playing with each other for a while. The defensive coordinator has been there for a long time. They know all the s**t that he's going to do."

The unstoppable force in this scenario is Chuba Hubbard, who is fourth in the league overall in rushing, averaging 81.8 yards per game on the ground by himself. The Panthers, as a team, are averaging 110 yards per game.

Since arriving, Dave Canales has preached that the Panthers will be a run-first, physical team. That can't change, no matter the opponent. Just as importantly, according to Canales, the Panthers can't try too hard to prove a point versus this defense.

"We don't really think that way," Canales said. "It's just a matter of coming up with a good solid core of runs that work for their structures, and the fact that they're a really good run team, we can't think that way to try to take us out of our game plan."

Hubbard has been running like a man with something to prove, and his mission has been aided by an offensive line clearing the way and setting a standard.

"The run game is a huge piece of our culture of our team, whether it's offense, defense, special teams when a big physical run happens or a screen on the perimeter and you see the offensive line traveling downfield and making big blocks and springing our running backs free," pointed out offensive coordinator Brad Idzik.

"Like that's a piece of our culture and Rob Hunt, like you see it on the toss crack if you go back and watch the New York Giants film and Chuba almost got in, Rob Hunt is pancaking guys and celebrating during the play and picking his guy up, he does that time and time again."

As the man who helped set the culture, Hunt is looking forward to the challenge of the Chiefs defense.

"It's going to be a really good test for us and, you know, I believe that we can, I mean, I like us, to come in and try to do what we've been doing."

The run game will also get a boost on Sunday as rookie Jonathon Brooks makes his NFL debut. It will be a little over a year since Brooks tore his ACL, and the Panthers have been patient with Brooks' return, a luxury they've been afforded thanks to how Hubbard is playing.

While Brooks won't be on a pitch count, Canales did clarify that Hubbard is the primary back, and that won't change.

I-Spy Patrick Mahomes

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is famous for making something out of nothing. A defense can have every receiving option covered, and Mahomes will take over a play, either carrying it himself or dancing around behind the line of scrimmage until a receiver pulls off his guy.

So, the question naturally arises: do you put a spy on Mahomes?

A spy is a designated defensive player, usually a linebacker, whose only job is to keep eyes on the quarterback, ready to deploy as a tackler if the passer breaks away on a run. They're used in situations when a QB is a noted mobile threat. While it helps provide a layer of protection against a passer with wheels, it also takes a defender out of the game.

As such, the Panthers elected not to employ a spy, at least in the game plan and instead committed to playing incredibly disciplined.

"I think it's more of a rushing lane integrity than necessarily spy on him," outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney noted this week. "If you watch the tape, when the pocket look like it's supposed to look, you don't need no spy, it's easy to get him down. When it don't, if somebody out their lane or something, then it looked a little funky.

"But do your job rushing lanes and being on the same page with the guys up front. I think you can try to collapse the pocket like that instead of spying."

Mahomes has been sacked 22 times so far this season.

Panthers run defense on a "Hunt"

The Panthers' run defense has been oft-maligned this season and is currently last in the league, giving up 160.1 yards per game on the ground this season.

The Chiefs offense, however, has been through a bit of musical chairs in their running back room, with Isiah Pacheco placed on injured reserve early in the year. Kansas City hoped to have their star back on the field by Week 12, but coach Andy Reid announced Friday that Pacheco (ankle) would not play this Sunday.

That leaves the ball firmly in Kareem Hunt's hands. The former Chief returned to the roster after Pacheco was put on IR earlier this year. Hunt has 509 yards in his seven games, with two games of 100-plus yards and four games of 20-plus carries.

However, Andy Reid never does things traditionally, so the Panthers also have to watch for Hunt as a pass catcher. He has 14 receptions for 116 yards through the air.

Third-down Thielen?

The Panther's offense will arguably have their most complete unit on the field Sunday with the addition of Brooks. But Bryce Young will also get Adam Thielen back this week. The two last played together in Week 2. Thielen suffered a hamstring injury in Week 3 when Andy Dalton was the starting quarterback.

"We've been waiting and hoping to get Adam back out there," Canales said this week. "He just opens up some things for us third-down wise and in the red zone."

To that point, Thielen had 56 first downs for the Panthers last season and four touchdowns. Thielen had five first downs and one touchdown through two-and-a-half games this season.

"It's a huge thing for Bryce to have somebody that he's got that chemistry with, and hopefully, Adam can help us on Sunday," Canales said.

Added Young, "For us, obviously, that would be huge. He's been a huge part of the offense since he's been here."

The Panthers also expect rookie Jalen Coker to be available, despite missing practice on Friday, and hope to add Deven Thompkins as well.

"There's some things that he can do to help us," Canales said of Thompkins. "So he's a part of our game plan."

Kicking it

Kicker Eddy Piñeiro might have been sidelined for Friday's practice, but the Panthers expect to have him against the Chiefs. Piñeiro, who became the most accurate kicker in NFL history last week, has gone 12-13 on field goals this year, including one from 50-plus and five of six from 40-49 yards.

"He had two really good days of kicking this week," Canales said of Piñeiro. "And so, we've just been talking to him and communicating, and he feels like he's ready to go."

The Panthers may have their starting kicker, but the Chiefs will be without theirs for another week. Harrison Butker was placed on IR last week after undergoing knee surgery. Instead, KC brought in rookie Spencer Shrader. This is his third team so far this season, previously kicking for the Colts and the Jets.

Shrader hasn't been asked to kick from 50-plus yet this season, but has gone 2-2 on his field goals and 6-6 on extra points.