Despite Christian McCaffrey’s best efforts, the Carolina Panthers lost 30-27 while hosting the defending NFC champion Los Angeles Rams in Week 1 of the NFL season.
On a team that’s traditionally been led by former MVP quarterback Cam Newton, McCaffrey has emerged as Carolina’s best player and finished the loss with 128 yards rushing and 10 catches for 81 yards to go along with a pair of touchdowns on 29 overall touches.
In addition to being quicker and more elusive than he looked last year, McCaffrey also showed off a good deal of power on Sunday and is a perfect example of how the NFL now requires running backs to be able to line up anywhere on the field to create mismatches, according to Axios Sports.
.@run__cmc is straight BALLIN' today#KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/Bbby1cljPH
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 8, 2019
Christian McCaffrey was DETERMINED to score on this run. @run__cmc #KeepPounding #LARvsCAR
📺: FOX
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports appWatch on mobile: https://t.co/PoZiStO3mL pic.twitter.com/TAjhSb3kHK
— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2019
Now in discussion for the NFL’s best running back in just his third year in the league, McCaffrey will put his talents on display tonight on Thursday Night Football.
On the other side of the field, another of one the NFL’s new breed of players will be chasing McCaffrey all over the gridiron.
The fifth overall pick in this year’s draft, Tampa Bay Buccaneer rookie inside linebacker Devin White had five tackles and an assist during his NFL debut despite battling a bad case of tonsillitis.
Brought in specifically to match up with backs like McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara of the Saints, White has the speed of a safety and can cover as well as make tackles from sideline to sideline.
“He’s gonna be a good player really quick,” former Buc and current Fox analyst Ronde Barber told ESPN. “I shook his hand after and was like, ‘Is that guy 21 or 35?’ He’s mature. His influence will be greater than just the way he plays on the football field — it’ll be how he handles himself in the locker room. You can tell. That’s what he is. He’s a natural leader.”
The game might not be great, but seeing McCaffrey and White match up against one another is reason enough to watch.
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