Christian McCaffrey injury: Panthers dealt huge blow with RB ruled out for the season 

Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey has been the centerpiece of their offense since 2017. Now, the Panthers must play the rest of the season without his services. The team made the announcement that McCaffrey’s season is over due to an injury to his left ankle. He suffered the injury during the Panthers’ Week 12 game against the Miami Dolphins in the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium.

How will Panthers move forward without McCaffrey?

The team announced that the graveness of the left ankle injury called for McCaffrey to head to IR based on the results of an MRI. That's not sufficient enough for him to return to the Panthers with only five games remaining on their schedule. This is McCaffrey's second time on IR in 2021. As the team prepares to move on without their Pro Bowl RB, they have a couple of RBs who have played in McCaffrey’s absence.

RB Chubba Hubbard, the Panthers' fourth round (126th overall pick) in this year’s draft, started five games this season as the feature back. He has 427 yards rushing on 122 carries, averaging 3.5 yards a carry and three TDs. Hubbard has 26 runs that have gone for first downs and also has 19 receptions (fourth on the team) for 152 yards.

Another RB, Ameer Abdullah, started one game (six games played) for the Panthers and has 21 carries for 65 yards with 3 receptions for 112 yards receiving.

Another way to replace McCaffrey’s production is with their QB, Cam Newton. In three games for the Panthers this year (two as their starting QB), he has a rushing TD in each game along with 16 rushes for 65 yards rushing. Newton is second all-time in career rushing yards and most rushing TDs for a QB in NFL history.

McCaffrey and his unlucky history with injuries

Since 2020, the eighth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft has suffered a number of injuries. McCaffrey suffered a right high-ankle sprain during a Week 2 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, missing six games. In November 2020, the RB hurt his shoulder on the final drive of their contest versus the Kansas City Chiefs, who missed four games. McCaffrey's thigh tightened up before a Week 14 game against the Denver Broncos, missing the remainder of the 2020 season.

In Week 3 of this season versus the Houston Texans, McCaffrey suffered a strained hamstring and missed five games. He has played in just 10 games since 2019 and now Panthers fans will have to wait to 2022 to see their franchise RB. I'm hoping for a speedy recovery for one of the league’s great young talents.