Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey was not initially expected to miss extended time after suffering a shoulder injury in Week 9.

However, the All-Pro has missed each of the past two games, and ESPN's Adam Schefter reports McCaffrey is unlikely to play against the Minnesota Vikings this weekend.

Matt Rhule has consistently labeled almost all of his players — whether it's McCaffrey or starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater — as week-to-week. But it is worth wondering whether the severity of McCaffrey's injury is greater than it first seemed.

The Panthers have a bye in Week 13, so it is possible Carolina is simply giving McCaffrey an extra week heading into said bye. At the same time, the early prognosis was CMC would miss no more than a week, maybe two.

Carolina has every reason to protect its investment in McCaffrey, who signed a big contract extension before the start of the year. But it is curious the Panthers might hold him out yet again when Rhule clearly stated the team was not shutting him down.

In any case, the Panthers will likely keep plodding along with Mike Davis in the backfield in the event McCaffrey misses more time.

Davis averaged under 3.4 yards per carry against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, but he hardly needed to do much as backup quarterback P.J. Walker thrashed the Lions through the air. Walker earned his first NFL win in his first career start, and the Panthers improved to 4-7 on the year.

Perhaps Rhule and the Panthers know they will be throwing quite a bit once again against a weak Vikings secondary, which could make holding McCaffrey out that much easier.