Christian McCaffrey gets well-deserved All-Pro Team recognition

McCaffrey was a catalyst throughout the course of the year.

In what has been an incredible season for Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, the former Stanford product received another accolade Friday. He was named to the 2018 Associated Press All-Pro Second Team. He was put in the flex position spot, with Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott manning the main running back spot.

Any fears about a sophomore slump for McCaffrey were completely erased as he put together a tremendous season both running the football and as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. He ran the ball 218 times for 1,098 yards and seven touchdowns. As receiver, he caught 107 passes for 867 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 8.1 yards per catch. The yards per catch amount was the same number that he had in the 2017 campaign. He also returned the ball 22 times for 162 yards, calling a fair catch nine times. He returned kickoffs three times for 58 yards.

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Earlier this summer, the Panthers made it clear that there were going to use Christian McCaffrey a lot more than they had in 2017. They were right. It seemed like he was on the field every play and he was a true workhorse. His best game of the season came against the Seattle Seahawks on November 25. He really displayed his skill set as a multi-purpose running back. He ran the ball 17 times for 125 yards and a touchdown. A 59-yard scamper was his longest of the afternoon. As a receiving back, he caught 11 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. If there was one downside to that game, it was that he had three fumbles. Even still, his offensive production could not be negated as he was truly a spark plug for the Carolina Panthers that day.

Statistically, his best game running the football came against the Pittsburgh Steelers. According to statistics from Pro football Focus, McCaffrey had a running rating of 80.8. As a receiving back, his best game statistically was in the season-opener against the Dallas Cowboys. Catching six passes for 45 yards, he recorded a receiving rating of 87.3. He was the Panthers highest-rated receiver totaling a 89.3 rating on the year. He also was a very sound pass-catcher, notching a 91.8 dropped passes rating in the campaign.

I know many fans (myself included) thought McCaffrey was a Pro bowl snub. Statistically, he had the numbers to be in the conversation with the best running backs in the National Football League. The more I think about however, the more I am glad he did not get the call. This guy needs a break. He was the focal point of the Panthers offense many games, and at times when the unit was struggling, it seemed like he was always there to bail them out.

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It will be interesting to see how the Carolina Panthers uses McCaffrey next season. I hope they use him less for the simple fact that he will get burned out really quickly if he has to take on another season like he did in 2018. It’s not that I do not think he can handle it. As he proved this year, he most certainly can. Rather, the Panthers need to make sure that he stays healthy throughout the entirety of the 2019 campaign. As this year showed, the Panthers need him in order to win football games.

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