Christian McCaffrey is one of the best running backs in the entire NFL, however, he has been injury-prone over the last few years. This lack of consistency has plagued the Carolina Panthers, who always seem to struggle in his absence. McCaffrey is the backbone of the Panthers offense, and even with Cam Newton back on the roster, fans understand just how much McCaffrey means to the team.
Yesterday, the Panthers lost in embarrassing fashion to the Miami Dolphins, and during the game, McCaffrey suffered an ankle injury. The team was worried about the extent of the injury, and this morning, McCaffrey received an MRI to get a full sense of the damage.
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According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the MRI was not a positive one as it was revealed that McCaffrey would have to be placed on the injured reserve. Now, he is expected to miss the rest of the season, which ultimately puts a huge dent in the Panthers' chances of potentially reaching the postseason.
McCaffrey's injury problems have lasted about three seasons now, and his lack of availability is certainly concerning as running backs tend to deteriorate much faster than players at other positions. Hopefully for McCaffrey, he can come back stronger than ever in 2022.