3 keys to victory for the Carolina Panthers vs. Vikings in Week 6

Carolina Panthers must bring Christian McCaffrey along slowly

This key is less about Week 6 specifically and more so about the future of the team in general. Christian McCaffrey has become an injury concern every time he is on the field and that is depressing to say.

Whether it’s the player or the team putting the former All-Pro out there so much and rushing them back is something we may never know. But whoever it is must be kept in check for the sake of the future of both the Carolina Panthers and McCaffrey.

Soft tissue injuries linger, it’s what they do. If you don’t give them enough time to heal you will just end up injuring other things as your body compensates. We saw this with McCaffrey last season.

While the sprain didn’t seem to be severe after testing was done, this type of injury can be very dangerous. The fact McCaffrey was absent from practice on Thursday after aggravating it is further proof of just what a precarious situation this is.

The Panthers need to be careful with this. One running back is not going to magically turn this team into a playoff contender, there are simply too many holes to patch.

Throwing McCaffrey into that woodchipper is going to do nothing but harm in the long run.

Running backs have an extremely short shelf life in today’s league and that is why many consider Emmitt Smith’s rushing record an unbreakable one. The beating the position takes is just too much to have a long enough career.

Limit his games now to gain more later when they actually matter.

I get it, the team wants its best player on the field, and load management is a controversial thing. But these injuries are beginning to take their toll and something must be done or it will be too late.