4 severe disappointments from Panthers loss vs. Cardinals in Week 4

Christian McCaffrey is being mismanaged

Christian McCaffrey is one of the best running backs in the NFL. He is a swiss army knife for an offense if used to his skill set, which can give the opposing defenses major headaches on all three downs.

McCaffrey ranks No. 14 in the NFL regarding rushing carries through four weeks. Ben McAdoo has not given him the opportunity to put a stamp on the game despite averaging an impressive 4.7 yards-per-carry, which is a bizarre way for the Carolina Panthers to approach things.

Another real head-scratcher is the lack of involvement involved in the passing game outside of Week 4, where he brought in each of his nine targets. That is what makes McCaffrey such a special player with his hybrid playing style.

The Stanford product has just 22 targets for 19 receptions and 138 receiving yards. McCaffrey has to get more attention in the passing game to give Baker Mayfield a security blanket and someone he can trust outside of D.J Moore and Robbie Anderson.

The game plan should focus on McCaffrey and getting the right matchups for Carolina’s offense to exploit. There is hardly any eye candy to get linebackers moving or keep their eyes in the backfield just a second longer to make the necessary play.

The old-school scheme McAdoo runs is obsolete and figured out. With no change, the offense will only dig themselves into a deeper hole they can’t get out of.