Christian McCaffrey left Thursday night’s game against the Houston Texans with a hamstring injury, and we now have a better idea of how long the Carolina Panthers star might be out.
Ian Rapoport of NFL media reports that McCaffrey is expected to miss “a few weeks.” While McCaffrey will undergo more tests, there may be one positive sign for Panthers fans — he is not expected to go on injured reserve.
#Panthers star RB Christian McCaffrey is expected to miss a few weeks, sources say, as the team continues to run tests on his hamstring injury suffered last night. IR is not the plan as of now. Rookie Chuba Hubbard is the next man up.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 24, 2021
You can see the play where McCaffrey injured his hamstring here.
If the Panthers do place McCaffrey on IR, he would be required to sit out at least three games. The fact that they have not committed to doing that is an indication that they believe he could return sooner.
Rookie Chuba Hubbard is expected to get the bulk of the carries and backfield work for the Panthers while McCaffrey is out. The former Oklahoma State star had 52 yards rushing on 11 attempts in Thursday’s win over the Texans. He added 27 receiving yards on three catches.
