Panthers activate McCaffrey ahead of game against Kansas City Chiefs

CHARLOTTE — The Panthers on Saturday activated running back Christian McCaffrey from the designated to return list to the 53-man roster.

For McCaffrey, the expected move makes him eligible to play in Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs, his first game since suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 2.

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On Friday, Panthers coach Matt Rhule said, “I would anticipate him playing.”

McCaffrey has missed Carolina’s last six games with a high ankle sprain. Rhule said he was pleased with how McCaffrey practiced this week.

“He looked like Christian. He looked good. He looked sharp,” Rhule said. “We will see how his body responds (on Thursday). ... He did a little last week (at practice), but this was his first padded day.”

The Panthers (3-5) certainly could use McCaffrey as they look to snap a three-game losing streak against the defending Super Bowl champions.

If McCaffrey returns it’s unclear at this point if his role would be reduced. McCaffrey was on the field for more than 93% of the team’s offensive plays the previous two seasons and played on 97% of the team’s snaps in Week 1.

But that was before the emergence of Mike Davis — and the ankle injury.

Davis did a solid job in leading the Panthers to three straight wins after McCaffrey went down in the fourth quarter of a Week 2 loss to Tampa Bay. But Davis has been held to 168 yards from scrimmage during Carolina’s current three-game losing streak. Rhule likes what Davis brings and said he’ll still have a role in the offense when McCaffrey returns, although he wouldn’t define exactly what that entails.

But it’s pretty clear the first-year head coach is chomping at the bit to get his 2019 All-Pro running back on the field. Last week he said McCaffrey couldn’t be back soon enough,

“Christian brings elite production,” Rhule said. “On days when you’re not great on third down, he’s a tremendous third-down matchup. Explosive runs. He can catch the ball out of the backfield. He’s one of the best in the National Football League. Like any great player, you feel better about your chances when he’s there than what he’s not.”

“You can tell that he’s just eager to just get back out there,” quarterback Teddy Bridgewater said. “We’ve watched how hard he’s worked. He’s a true grinder.”

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said McCaffrey is “arguably the MVP of the league” when he’s healthy, and said his defense will be focused on stopping him.

McCaffrey has been missed in the red zone. The team was 4 of 5 on scoring touchdowns inside the opponent’s 20-yard line when McCaffrey was in the lineup, with the running back scoring four TDs. However, with McCaffrey out of the lineup, the Panthers are converting less than 50% (10 of 21) of their red-zone trips into touchdowns.

Rhule said he wouldn’t rule out using McCaffrey and Davis on the field together moving forward, particularly given McCaffrey’s skills as a receiver.

“We all know Christian’s ability to line up and play receiver,” Rhule said. “So I think the door is open to be creative with all those guys.”

Of course, McCaffrey’s return may not matter at all if the Panthers can’t protect quarterback Teddy Bridgewater this week, something that has emerged as a problem for the offensive line over the last two weeks.

“When Teddy Bridgewater is upright, he’s playing like one of the best quarterbacks in the National Football League,” Rhule said. “When we protect the quarterback, we’ve been really good. When the quarterback’s been under duress, we haven’t been the offense that we want to be in.”

NOTES: Panthers safety Jeremy Chinn, looking like an NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate, did not practice Wednesday due to a knee injury. DE Brian Burns said of Chinn: “I told him to rest up. It’s probably more serious than what he thinks.” ... Panthers cornerback Rasul Douglas returned to practice after missing two games on the COVID-19/reserve list. .... Left tackle Russell Okung was back at practice after missing two starts with a calf injury.

‘I hate it for him’: Panthers’ McCaffrey to miss several games with high ankle sprain

CAROLINA (3-5) at KANSAS CITY (7-1)

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox

OPENING LINE — Chiefs by 11

RECORD VS. SPREAD — Carolina 4-4; Kansas City 6-2

SERIES RECORD — Chiefs lead 4-2

LAST MEETING — Panthers beat Chiefs 20-17 on Nov. 13, 2016 at Carolina

LAST WEEK — Panthers lost to Falcons 25-17; Chiefs beat Jets 35-9

AP PRO32 RANKING — Panthers No. 20, Chiefs No. 2

PANTHERS OFFENSE — OVERALL (19), RUSH (18), PASS (19)

PANTHERS DEFENSE — OVERALL (15), RUSH (20), PASS (15)

CHIEFS OFFENSE — OVERALL (4), RUSH (13), PASS (4)

CHIEFS DEFENSE — OVERALL (10), RUSH (29), PASS (3)

STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — The Panthers have lost three straight. ... Carolina QB Teddy Bridgewater ranks second in the NFL with a 71.6 completion percentage. ... Panthers WR Robby Anderson is third in the league with 688 yards receiving. ... Carolina LB Jeremy Chinn leads all rookies with 66 tackles. He is tied with LB Shaq Thompson for eighth overall. ... The Panthers have allowed six sacks during their three-game skid. ... Carolina was 3 of 13 on third and fourth downs last week against Atlanta, ending two drives with turnovers on downs. ... The Panthers have not scored a touchdown in the second half of a game three times. ... Chiefs coach Andy Reid has 229 wins, tied with Curly Lambeau for fifth most in NFL history. Tom Landry is next with 270. ... The Chiefs would break their own NFL record if they score at least 23 points in their 23rd consecutive game. ... Kansas City is tied for the league lead in takeaways with 14 and has caused at least one turnover in 10 straight regular-season games. ... Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes needs three TD passes in the next four games to break Dan Marino’s record (44 games) for the fastest to 100. Mahomes can also extend his franchise record for consecutive games with a TD pass to 19. He is coming off his fourth career 400-yard passing game against the Jets. He also threw five TD passes. ... Chiefs TE Travis Kelce eclipsed 7,000 yards receiving in last week’s win over the Jets. His 21st career 100-yard receiving game passed WR Otis Taylor for second most in franchise history. ... WR Tyreek Hill has 23 TD catches of at least 40 yards, tied with Randy Moss for the most in NFL history. Hill has 39 TD catches total. ... Fantasy tip: Panthers RB Mike Davis has been a workhorse while Christian McCaffrey has been out with an ankle injury, but coach Matt Rhule indicated the 2019 All-Pro running back would be the clear-cut No. 1 should he be cleared to return this week. That would mean a big dip in the number of touches for those who rostered Davis the past few weeks.

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