What were some key observations from Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey’s performance against the New Orleans Saints in Week 3?
It was a lot better from Christian McCaffrey’s point of view in Week 2. The Carolina Panthers leaned on their best weapon more heavily and going over 100 rushing yards for the first time since 2019 was another positive step in the right direction following so much unfortunate luck on the injury front.
This wasn’t enough for the Panthers to end a concerning nine-game losing run. Something which piled further pressure on McCaffrey and the team during a pivotal Week 3 divisional encounter against the New Orleans Saints in front of their home faithful.
McCaffrey hasn’t enjoyed the greatest success versus the Saints. His career-high is 74 rushing yards in Week 2 last year, which was the last time Carolina won a regular-season game at Bank of America Stadium before a catastrophic run of form under head coach Matt Rhule.
The former first-round pick played his part in Carolina’s first win in 10, which came when it was needed more than ever given the pressure on head coach Matt Rhule. With this in mind, here are four key observations from McCaffrey’s performance against the Saints in Week 3.
Key Observation No. 1
Christian McCaffrey looked explosive early
It didn’t take long for Christian McCaffrey to announce himself in this one. An explosive burst right out of the gate set the tone behind a positive performance overall, even if the offense wasn’t entirely clicking during the opening exchanges.
McCaffrey’s quick burst hasn’t gone away despite his injury problems over the last two seasons. How the Carolina Panthers deploy him will be interesting as the wear and tear grows leading up to their Week 13 bye.
Christian McCaffrey’s influence was diminished by a lackluster offense
The Carolina Panthers picked up the victory, which was the most important thing at the end of the day. It didn’t matter how it came and the contest was ugly overall, but there are some clear deficiencies on offense that must be rectified immediately if the coaching staff wants to build on this newfound momentum.
Baker Mayfield is front and center, with his indifferent distribution and hesitancy in the pocket seeing little progress made in the first half. Things improved after the break and offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo deserves credit for scheming things in a fashion that put his playmakers in a position to thrive.
Third-down and red-zone efficiency must improve. Until it does, then Christian McCaffrey’s influence will be diminished to a certain extent.
McCaffrey is the league’s best dual-threat running back. Having him run in between the tackles was a tiring way to accumulate minimal yards and just two receptions from four targets for seven receiving yards just isn’t going to cut it, either.
Once the offense clicks fully and Mayfield becomes comfortable, then everyone will benefit. McCaffrey most of all behind what looks to be a much-improved offensive line.
Christian McCaffrey had to fight for every yard
This was a workmanlike performance from Christian McCaffrey. The New Orleans Saints defense made him their primary focus as expected and although there were brief glimpses in the open field, the Stanford product had to fight for every yard that came his way.
As stated previously, McCaffrey is working behind an offensive line brimming with confidence right now. Things look stable on the interior and Ikem Ekwonu’s ability on running downs is something else that’s left a notable impression through three weeks.
New Orleans never makes things easy for McCaffrey. So for the player to keep plugging away down the stretch when the Carolina Panthers needed him to step up was extremely pleasing.
More importantly, it was yet another contest where McCaffrey came through unscathed. Even though he’s landed on the injury report twice, it’s been smooth sailing on the health front and long may that continue.
This was McCaffrey’s toughest test of the season to date against a stout Saints front seven. But the physicality and perseverance were enough to suggest that the player’s injury complications might be a thing of the past.
If this proves correct and something clicks with Baker Mayfield in the coming weeks, then the Panthers might just have a winning formula at last.
Another 100-yard game for Christian McCaffrey
The defense will take most plaudits and rightfully so, but Christian McCaffrey quietly put together his second-consecutive game of more than 100 rushing yards.
McCaffrey accumulated 25 carries for 108 rushing yards, to be precise. This came with a 4.8 yards-per-carry average and as stated previously, every single one was hard earned against a quality defensive front.
Leaning on McCaffrey too much could bring its own set of complications the later we get into the season. However, this is all the Carolina Panthers can do right now until Baker Mayfield figures things out under center.
Considering how things have gone for McCaffrey since signing his lucrative contract extension before the 2020 season, everything he’s done so far has been a plus. Despite being used very little in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns, the All-Pro has 243 yards on the ground to go with one touchdown and 57 receiving yards.
Now that the Panthers have their unwanted nine-game losing run off their backs, what comes next is equally if not more important. And make no mistake, if Matt Rhule wants to come through a daunting run of fixtures heading into Halloween, then he needs McCaffrey fit and firing on all cylinders.
In that sense, it’s so far, so good.