KC Chiefs will have hands full trying to slow down Christian McCaffrey
The KC Chiefs run defense hasn’t been great this season and they’ll have their work cut out for them when it comes to trying to stop Christian McCaffrey.
Week 9 brings the Carolina Panthers to Arrowhead Stadium for a date between the 3-5 Panthers and the 7-1 defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. While the Chiefs are heavy favorites in this match-up (as they should be), the Panthers most likely get their best player back this week, as Christian McCaffrey is eyeing a return on Sunday.
It’ll be McCaffrey’s first game since he suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 2 and even though he’s still going to be taking it easy, he’s a former first round pick for a reason. Prior to going down, McCaffrey was off to a hot start, as expected. He had a total of 41 carries for 156 yards and four touchdowns on the ground while also hauling in seven catches for 67 yards.
Week 1 saw McCaffrey run all over the Las Vegas Raiders, carrying the ball 23 times for 97 yards and finding the end zone twice. He was injured in Week 2, but was on pace for another big game, rushing 18 times for 59 yards and two touchdowns.
How will the KC Chiefs fare against Christian McCaffrey?
The Chiefs haven’t faced McCaffrey before, as he was drafted in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft (two picks before Patrick Mahomes was taken by KC), so it’ll be interesting to see how they handle him. It won’t be a typical situation, as he’s just returning from injury and the Panthers might not push him too much.
If McCaffrey is good to go, however, the Chiefs defense might have some troubles slowing him down. They haven’t been great at stopping the run this year, currently totaling the fourth highest average yards per game. Luckily for the Chiefs, their offense is so explosive and high-flying that typically opponents have to eventually get away from running the ball if they want any chance at winning.
That’ll obviously be the best case scenario for Kansas City here — running up the score and keeping McCaffrey off the field. The rest of the Panthers offense is fine, sitting right in the middle of the pack as far as passing yards per game go. McCaffrey is someone who can be utilized in the receiving game too and that could be where Carolina opts to use him at more in this game to limit the hits he takes.
This subject could end up being for naught if McCaffrey gets out there and isn’t feeling good on that ankle, or if the Chiefs get up by a lot in the first half. I’ll be curious to see how this KC Chiefs defense fares against one of the best running backs in the entire league.
How do you think Christian McCaffrey will do against the Chiefs defense?