Despite the Carolina Panthers losing by a large margin, Christian McCaffrey has made history against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Following a 17-yard reception, McCaffrey becomes the third player in NFL history to record 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season per NFL Research.

The only other players to achieve what Christian McCaffrey did in Week 17 are Marshall Faulk and Roger Craig. That is quite a group of running backs to have your name mentioned with if you're McCaffrey.

Of course, Faulk was terrorizing opposing defenses with the St. Louis Rams (now Los Angeles Rams). The Hall-of-Fame running back produced 1,381 rushing yards and 1,048 receiving yards in 1999—the year that the Rams won their lone Super Bowl.

Before Faulk achieved it, Craig became the first running back to do so for the San Francisco 49ers in 1985. The 49ers' dual-threat running back contributed 1,050 rushing yards and 1,016 receiving yards that season.

At the time this article is being written, Christian McCaffrey has carried the ball 287 times for 1,387 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. But most impressively, Carolina's dynamic back has corraled 115 receptions for 1,000 yards and another four touchdowns as a receiver.

If the Panthers had a better record, Christian McCaffrey would be getting more attention for the season he's had. Along with joining Faulk and Craig, McCaffrey is only 119 yards short of surpassing Chris Johnson's single-season scrimmage yards record.

While he may not reach Johnson, Christian McCaffrey should get some more recognition for how he's performed in 2019. Depending on what happens during the offseason, McCaffrey could be even better in 2020.

So many variables will greet Christian McCaffrey and the Panthers in the upcoming season. The organization is interviewing candidates to replace former head coach Ron Rivera. The Panthers also need to see if Cam Newton will be able to be 100 percent.