CHARLOTTE, NC – The Carolina Panthers activated Saturday to run Christian McCaffrey back from the injured reserve to qualify for Sunday’s game in Kansas City.
The move comes as no surprise as coach Matt Rhule said Friday that McCaffrey is expected to be activated for the first time since suffering an ankle sprain during a week two loss to Tampa Bay.
Rhule wanted to make sure there weren’t any setbacks on Saturday as the Panthers (3-5) held their final practice session before facing defending Super Bowl Champion Chiefs (7-1).
While most teams hold an easy run on Saturdays, Rhule guides his players through a full training session.
Rhule said how much McCaffrey is used depends on your back and weather conditions. The forecast is for sunny skies with temperatures in the low 70s.
The concern is to overwork McCaffrey, who missed six games, by playing too many games in a row. So don’t pay attention to the fact that he plays 97% of the games on the field while he was in the opener – or even 93% when he was all last season.
The Panthers enter the game with McCaffrey, who is expected to share the charge with Mike Davis, who has completed 350 yards and two touchdowns and caught 38 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns.
But as Rhule noted earlier this week when discussing what McCaffrey does that Davis doesn’t, “Christian is an elite gamer” who does elite production.
In 2019, McCaffrey became the third player in NFL history to flick and receive 1,000 yards that same season.
“He’s one of the best in the National Football League,” said Rhule. “Like any great player, you feel better about your chances when he’s there than what he’s not.”
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