Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is trying his best to make his return in Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
McCaffrey was sidelined in the Week 4, 36-28 loss against the Dallas Cowboys. He suffered a hamstring injury the week before in a Thursday night battle versus the Houston Texans. The first diagnosis was that he would miss the next several games, but having the extra time off between games paid huge dividends.
“I definitely feel good,” McCaffrey said on Thursday.
McCaffrey was not a full participant in practice for the second straight day, as the Panthers (3-1) used extra precautions to avoid any setbacks. Head coach Matt Rhule said to the media on Wednesday that his star all-purpose back would be a game-time decision.
McCaffrey’s excitement about facing a sub-par defense (NFL 31st ranked) was obvious. “You kind of just know how you feel,” he said.
McCaffrey stated his frustration with the hamstring injury after missing 13 games in the 2020 season with three different injuries. He noted that the short turn-around between the Sunday and Thursday games “definitely” played a major role in the injury, stating that a little bit of extra time between matchups could have prevented it.
“It was extremely frustrating,” he said. “I don’t prefer Thursday night games. You go through a lot in a football game. You really get two days to recover, and one of those days is a travel day. “You hop on a plane. You’re in a hotel and you go out and play in a football game. It’s really tough. It is what it is. It’s part of the game.”
Two years ago, McCaffrey became the third player in NFL history to have 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season. Roger Craig was the first to accomplish this feat in 1985 with the San Francisco 49ers. Marshall Faulk was the second in 1999 with the St. Louis Rams.
McCaffrey entered Week 3 of the season as the NFL’s leader in total yards from scrimmage, with 324 and had 364 at the time of his injury in the second quarter against the Texans. He says that last year’s injuries did not make him timid and neither will this latest one. “I play full speed all the time,” he said.
Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady stated that he is preparing all three of his running backs to play in the event that McCaffrey cannot go; Chubba Hubbard, Royce Freeman and Rodney Smith. Hubbard led the Panthers running attack with a total of 13 carries for 57 yards in their last contest.
“We know he makes us better,” Brady said of McCaffrey. “We’ll see come Sunday.”
