Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is close to returning from a hamstring strain he suffered in Week 3 against the Houston Texans, telling reporters Thursday he “definitely feel(s) good” this week.
The 2019 All-Pro sustained that injury during a “Thursday Night Football” contest, and he readily admitted that the short week played a part.
“It was extremely frustrating,” McCaffrey said in his press conference. “I don’t prefer Thursday night games. You go through a lot in a football game. And you really get two days to recover and one of those days is a travel day. So you get two days to recover, you hop on a plane, you get in a hotel, and then you go out and play in a football game. It’s really tough. But it is what it is. It’s part of the game and obviously frustrating.”
McCaffrey wouldn’t chalk it up to “overuse,” but agreed that the short recovery time was a factor.
“Definitely. There’s no telling that if you had another three, four days to recover — you just never know. But I definitely think so,” he said.
McCaffrey sat out Carolina’s Week 4 loss to the host Dallas Cowboys. He returned to practice Wednesday.
McCaffrey has 52 carries for 201 yards and a touchdown to go along with 16 receptions for 163 yards in three games this season. He played only three games in 2020 due to a high ankle sprain and a shoulder injury.
The Panthers (3-1) host the Philadelphia Eagles (1-3) on Sunday.
–Field Level Media