Running back Christian McCaffrey had another strong day for the Panthers, with 157 yards from scrimmage on 22 touches. One specific touch resulted in McCaffrey not being touched when he went up and over Buccaneers defensive back Carlton Davis.
So what’s the thought process when exposing a sensitive area of the body to potential contact with a helmet by leaping over a defender?
“It’s very instinctive,” McCaffrey told PFT by phone after Sunday’s 42-28 win over the Buccaneers.
But sometimes instincts can betray a guy. Asked if he’s ever hurdled and failed, McCaffrey recalled (how could he forget?) a 2016 game while he was still at Stanford. Facing Oregon State, McCaffrey tried to hurdle a defender, and McCaffrey got clipped in the McNuggets. But he doesn’t seem to mind.
“As long as I fall forward, it’s OK,” McCaffrey said.
McCaffrey’s workload has increased this season, and he’s OK with that, too.
“I don’t think there’s a workload that’s too heavy for me,” McCaffrey said, adding that he’d take as many rushing attempts and pass receptions as possible. The extra work isn’t making it harder to get out of bed on Mondays. He said that he can have 30 touches and feel great the next day, and that he can have only 10 touches but if one tackle or hit gets him a certain way, he’ll feel if the next day.
He’s not getting hit much this year, because (as he explained it) the coaching staff has come up with different ways to put guys in space. With the offensive line playing well, McCaffrey feeling more comfortable and poised in year two, and quarterback Cam Newton continuing to provide leadership and stability to the offense, the Panthers keep winning.
And they’re paying no attention to the fact that they’re still operating under radar. The focus, as McCaffrey explained it, is simply on trying to get better each and every week.
So far, it has worked, especially over the past few weeks. And McCaffrey has no complaints about playing on Thursday night against the Steelers, citing the momentum that the team has developed since that 21-point explosion in the fourth quarter against the Eagles two weeks ago.
