Carolina Panthers All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey will miss the rest of the season after suffering an ankle injury in Sunday’s 33-10 loss at Miami.
The team did not specify the exact injury, and its website said only it was “severe enough to place him on injured reserve.” He left the stadium Sunday in a walking boot.
The injury occurred in the first half against the Dolphins, and McCaffrey finished the game with 10 carries and 35 yards.
McCaffrey, 25, played the first three games of the season, missed the next five with a hamstring injury, then appeared in the past four. He will finish the 2021 season with 442 yards on 99 carries to go with 343 yards on 37 receptions. He scored one rushing and one receiving touchdown each.
Injuries have severely hampered McCaffrey since 2019, when he led the league with 2,392 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns.
The Panthers selected him No. 8 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, and he appeared in all 48 games over his first three seasons in the league. In 2020, an ankle sprain and shoulder injury limited him to just three games.
McCaffrey signed a four-year, $64 million contract extension through the 2025 season in April 2020.
The Panthers (5-7) have a bye this week and will host the Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 12. The Falcons currently are 5-6 and will play the NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-3) on Sunday.
–Field Level Media
