Christian McCaffrey: ‘I’d Probably Argue Against’ TNF Games Given Injury Risk

AP Photo/Justin Rex

If Christian McCaffrey had his way, the NFL’s weekly game schedule would not start on Thursday nights.

The Carolina Panthers running back told reporters during a press conference he would “probably argue against them” when discussing Thursday games. He explained “I think I’m not alone in this” line of thought and suggested playing on a Thursday in Week 3 “definitely” contributed to his own hamstring injury.

“It was extremely frustrating,” McCaffrey said. “I don’t prefer Thursday night games. You go through a lot in a football game. And you really get two days to recover and one of those days is a travel day. So you get two days to recover, you hop on a plane, you get in a hotel, and then you go out and play in a football game. It’s really tough. But it is what it is. It’s part of the game. And, obviously, frustrating.”

McCaffrey suffered the injury during Carolina’s 24-9 victory over the Houston Texans, which happened just four days after he had 24 carries and five catches during a win over the New Orleans Saints.

It was a concerning setback considering the 2019 All-Pro selection played just three games in 2020 because of injuries.

Fortunately for the Panthers, McCaffrey said he “definitely” could return for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, which would mean he only missed the loss to the Dallas Cowboys with the latest injury.

The Stanford product also doesn’t have to worry about any more Thursday games this season, as the Panthers are scheduled to play on Sundays the rest of the year.

Even if he returns for Carolina’s next game and remains healthy, replicating his incredible 2019 season will be no easy task. McCaffrey finished with 1,387 rushing yards, 1,005 receiving yards and 19 total touchdowns that season.

He has 201 rushing yards, 163 receiving yards and one touchdown through three games this year.