4 reasonable excuses for Teddy Bridgewater’s poor play in 2020
By Dean Jones
Christian McCaffrey’s injuries
Not having Christian McCaffrey for all-but three games of the 2020 season hurt the Carolina Panthers and Teddy Bridgewater in particular. The face of the franchise suffered ankle, shoulder, and quad problems throughout the campaign, which was the first time he’s missed a competitive contest since arriving at the next level out of Stanford.
Losing the best dual-threat running back in the NFL was going to come with some complications for even the most talented of signal-callers. Bridgewater lost his primary weapon and the best security blanket anybody occupying the position under center could ask for, so it clearly had a big impact on his overall performance.
Bridgewater’s production when McCaffrey was alongside him in the backfield was encouraging – albeit fleeting – over a three-game period.
- 72.8 completion percentage
- 946 passing yards
- 315 passing yards per game
- 3 touchdowns
- 1 rushing touchdown
- 2 interceptions
Had the duo been together for the 15 games Bridgewater was available, his numbers could have looked far more impressive.
- 4,730 passing yards
- 15 touchdowns
- 5 rushing touchdowns
- 10 interceptions
Not at the elite level.
But certainly not as bad as what Bridgewater ended up with.
The quarterback might not get the chance to have a full season with McCaffrey thanks to the Panthers making their intentions clear about bringing in a possible replacement. Bridgewater will feel hard done by, but the NFL and pursuit of success wait for no man.