The Carolina Panthers were all but eliminated from playoff contention after losing to the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
However, Carolina will not withhold some of its injured stars for the remainder of the year.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network says star running back Christian McCaffrey — who has not played since Week 9 due to various injuries — is hoping to practice Tuesday and could play Saturday against the Green Bay Packers.
Panthers wide receiver DJ Moore is expected to come off the reserve/COVID-19 list in time for Saturday's game.
Carolina could just as easily be at 6-7 had a few things gone differently in recent weeks.
The Panthers lost to the Minnesota Vikings by just one point in Week 12 after Minnesota scored a go-ahead touchdown with under a minute to go and placekicker Joey Slye's 54-yard game-winning field goal try was no good.
Although the Panthers were shorthanded against the Broncos, they put up a good fight. Carolina trailed 25-10 after three quarters, but nearly crawled all the way back before a 49-yard touchdown pass from Drew Lock to KJ Hamler all but sealed the deal.
Unfortunately, those two losses have basically vanquished the Panthers' playoff hopes. But McCaffrey appears intent on returning this season, and Moore has made good progress from an ankle injury he had been dealing with prior to landing on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
The two stars could give it a go on Saturday against a Packers team that took over the No. 1 seed in the NFC following the New Orleans Saints' surprising loss at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles. While Carolina doesn't have much left to play for, these two could help spoil things for Green Bay. It would be especially nice to see McCaffrey back on the field after all these missed games.
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