Unexpectedly los Panthers command the NFC South in perfect gear after defeating the Texans on Thursday Night Football in week 3. The price of their immaculate step was perder a Christian McCaffrey, who refuses to be away from the grills for a long time.
This Monday coach Matt Rhule reported that Carolina will not place McCaffrey on the disabled list, who suffered a hamstring injury during the first half of the game against the Texans.
The Panthers chose not to deactivate McCaffrey mays sending it to the reserve meant losing it for at least three commitments. With the above, Rhule hopes that the Stanford product can be reinstated sooner.
“We feel like there are chances of having it back sooner, or at least for a third game, “Rhule explained.
Contingency plan
The 46-year-old head coach also declined to name the Panthers’ starting running back during McCaffrey’s absence, but noted that Chuba Hubbard and Royce Freeman will have a significant workload in week 4 against the Cowboys.
Regarding Hubbard, it looks like the 22-year-old could be Carolina’s main running back in the engagement. Rhule praised the work the Oklahoma State graduate did after relieving McCaffrey.
“In the second half he had good carries, caught the ball and ran over opponents,” said the coach. “When he got into the rhythm with a few runs and taps, he lit up and we saw how explosive he is.”
It should be noted that both Hubbard and Freeman must live up to Rhule’s expectations for the game against Dallas. For the moment, the Cowboys running defense is the sixth best in the league tolerating an average of 73.5 yards per engagement.
