Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is expected to miss his second consecutive game Sunday with an AC joint separation, a set back for the All-Pro who coach Matt Rhule initially thought would be ready to play against the Lions.
Rhule said team doctors told him Monday night that they didn't feel McCaffrey would be ready to go this week.
"I don't know if it will be this week, I don't know if it will be next week," Rhule said Wednesday. "I think it's just one of those things where nobody knows their body better than Christian, and whenever he feels like he can go, and the doctors feel he can go, we'll be ready."
Treatment and the recovery period for AC joint separation can vary depending on the type of AC joint separation a person has, said Dr. Alex Creighton, UNC-Chapel Hill's team orthopedic surgeon. Creighton is not treating McCaffrey, does not know the specifics of his injury and was speaking from a general standpoint.
An AC separation, which stands for acromioclavicular separation, is an injury common in contact sports, such as football. It occurs when the clavicle or collar bone separates from the shoulder blade, usually caused by falling directly on the top of the shoulder, according to The Steadman Clinic.
McCaffrey injured his shoulder in Week 9 on the final drive of the Panthers' 33-31 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs. He was tackled after making a catch and landed hard on his right shoulder. He has not been been at any practice since suffering the injury.
Creighton said there are six types or grades of AC joint injuries — Type 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 — with Type 1 being a mild sprain, and Type 6 is when the clavicle is displaced, though Type 6 is rare.
Creighton said Types 4-6 typically require surgery. The recovery period is about six months. Types 1 and 2 are mild sprains, and can be treated with rest. Type 3 often does not require surgery, but in some cases do, he added.
It is unclear what type or grade McCaffrey has. When asked Thursday, Rhule said he wasn't sure whether he could say. McCaffrey has not yet been made available to the media since injurying his shoulder almost two weeks ago. After initially suffering the injury, he got a second opinion on it, which appeared to be good news.
"Fortunately, most of the time these are your lower-grade injuries," Creighton said, again, speaking generally. "The vast majority of these can be treated conservatively. There's variability on how long they take to get better, and if you're going back to the exact same thing that cause your injury, you're obviously susceptible to re-injuring it."
Rhule did say Wednesday that he expected to see McCaffrey return to the field at some point this season. The Panthers are 3-7 entering their game with the Lions and are 14th out of 16 teams in the NFC standings.
It's been a rough year for McCaffrey, who has missed eight games. The Panthers are 3-5 without him.
Week 9 was McCaffrey's first game back after returning from a high ankle sprain, which landed him on the IR. It was the first major injury of his NFL career, and the first time he had missed time in four seasons with the Panthers, despite playing the majority of the the team's snaps.
McCaffrey, 24, signed a four-year $64 million extension in April to become the highest paid running back in NFL history at the time. His contract runs through the 2025 season.
