Christian McCaffrey is getting a ton of work this season. The Panthers have been relying on him to carry their offense with Cam Newton out and Kyle Allen struggling the last few weeks. As superb as he’s been, there’s some concern about McCaffrey getting burned out, which is understandable.
Coach Ron Rivera is aware and seems to be trying to lighten McCaffrey’s load, at least during the week. According to Tiffany Blackmon at NFL Network, McCaffrey getting Wednesdays off is going to be the new normal for the rest of the 2019 season.
McCaffrey is on the injury report this week with a back issue, which he likely suffered when he flipped over a Jaguars defender for a touchdown on Sunday and came down on his back.
Later in the fourth quarter, McCaffrey had to go to the sidelines. Rivera has told reporters he was suffering from cramps, but Myles Jack claims he knocked him out of the game. So, it’s possible – even likely – McCaffrey is dealing with more than one minor injury right now.
Rivera told reporters after today’s practice he expects McCaffrey will participate tomorrow and play on Sunday.
Going forward, it makes sense for the Panthers to lean a little less on McCaffrey, at least for this week’s game. The Buccaneers appear to have the best run defense in the league this year and they were able to contain McCaffrey to just 2.31 yards per carry in their Week 2 matchup.
Tampa’s defense is still very vulnerable when it comes to the pass, though. The Bucs have allowed more passing yards than any other NFL team.
