Chiefs defense ramping up to defend against Panthers’ ‘unique’ RB Christian McCaffrey
Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey had practiced in the past week even while he remained on injured reserve with a hurt ankle.
And the Chiefs knew their game-week preparations had better include being ready for McCaffrey. He’s a player worth keeping close tabs on, especially now that his return appears imminent Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
“We’ll have to make sure we know what’s going on with him,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said.
When healthy, the 5-foot-11, 205-pound McCaffrey is widely regarded as one of the NFL’s elite all-around running backs.
“He’s a unique back,” Chiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens said. “Obviously, we all know that he’s a good receiving back, he’s a hard-nosed runner out of the backfield. I mean, he’s one of the better athletes in this league.”
McCaffrey, who hasn’t played since Week 2, has earned such high praise since entering the league in 2017. Now in his fourth season, he has topped 1,000 yards rushing in a season twice in his career and is a nightmare to deal with out of the backfield as a receiver.
In 2019, McCaffrey produced 1,387 yards rushing and 1,005 yards receiving with 19 total touchdowns (15 rushing). He caught 107 passes in 2018 and followed up in 2019 with 116 receptions.
Unique, indeed, and arguably one of the toughest matchups at the running back position that the Chiefs will face through the first half of the regular season.
It helps that Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo knows a thing or two about defending running backs. He’s been around the likes of Steven Jackson and Darren Sproles while serving as a head coach with the St. Louis Rams (2009-11) and defensive coordinator with the New Orleans Saints (2012).
When it comes to drawing up a plan against McCaffrey, however, there are obstacles because the Panthers deploy their running back’s versatility in a variety of ways.
“This guy does everything,” Spagnuolo said. “In some packages, you need to sit there and treat him as a wideout, and then you got to treat him as a back. The challenge is as the game is going and they’re changing what he is and where he goes is our guys are in tune to that, so that’s the biggest challenge.”
McCaffrey’s talent and athleticism ensures he can take advantage of defensive matchups wherever the Panthers decide to line him up. And Spagnuolo knows that having the right personnel on the field could go a long way in limiting stress on the Chiefs’ defense.
“We don’t want to get in an unfavorable mismatch on our side,” Spagnuolo said. “So, that will be the game that we’ll try and play and not put anyone in a tough situation because we fully expect him to come out there and do what he does, which is everything.”
The Panthers have a capable Plan B, in the form of Mike Davis, if McCaffrey isn’t ready to return. But signs certainly point to the Panthers activating their star player from injured reserve in time for Sunday’s game, which gives McCaffrey a matchup against a Chiefs run defense currently ranked 29th in the NFL (142.8 yards allowed).
McCaffrey is capable of taking over a game, but the Chiefs aren’t backing down from the challenge. They have held their opponents to 20 points or less in six of seven games this season.
“We have some things for him,” Hitchens said. “Good for them for having him back, but our game plan didn’t change much.”
This story was originally published November 6, 2020 at 4:40 PM.
