The Carolina Panthers won their second straight game despite the absence of franchise QB Cam Newton. And they have young running back Christian McCaffrey to thank for their current winning streak.
The 23-year-old Stanford product has showcased explosive running that helped the Panthers break their poor start and stand at a comfortable 3-2 in the NFC South.
There have been plenty of praises about his running game. McCaffrey himself said that he feels like he's only been playing well. However, his Panthers teammates think that they are “watching greatness” whenever he carries the ball.
Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk described what Gerald McCoy, one of his teammates, thought of his performance so far:
“If I was writing, I would see if he’s from earth,” McCoy said, via the team’s website. “I’d have to check to see if he’s from Asgard or something. I don’t know where that dude’s from. If the season ended right now, he’s the MVP.”
It's understandable why the word MVP is lingering around McCaffrey's presence lately. He's leading all running backs carries (105) and rushing yards (587). He's also leading in rushing yards per game at 117.4. He's also been an effective passing option for Kyle Allen, completing 279 receiving yards and 31 receptions.
The MVP award has always been an honor reserved for the quarterback over the past couple of years. However, McCaffrey's outstanding season may buck the trend and make him the first playmaker in a while to win the award since Adrian Peterson in 2012.
If he does win the award, then he'll have his weight in the conversation of being one of the best running backs of his generation.
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