Versatile McCaffrey a headache
TAMPA — The Bucs don’t need to look at the film from Christian McCaffrey’s game Sunday to know how dangerous an offensive weapon the second-year Carolina Panthers running back has become.
They already know firsthand.
McCaffrey posted a franchise-record 237 yards from scrimmage — including 100 yards both rushing and receiving — in Carolina’s 30-27 loss to Seattle on Sunday, further establishing himself as one of the league’s top all-around offensive threats.
“Boy, he’s really playing well, and he had a heck of a game (Sunday),” Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter said. “He’s so good in both the run game and the pass game. … He’s a smart player, exceptional quickness, vision, cutting ability and then as a route runner you’re not going to find many halfbacks that can run routes.
“When he came out of college, there were other teams that were saying this guy could possibly be a slot receiver if he didn’t make it as a running back.”
As the Bucs prepare to face McCaffrey again this Sunday at Raymond James Stadium, they need only watch the game film of their Week 9 loss to the Panthers in Carolina, when McCaffrey was utilized in several ways while recording 157 total yards and two touchdowns in a 42-28 Bucs loss.
The loss was one of the most frustrating of the season for the Bucs, because they looked confused and outmatched by the Panthers’ motion and misdirection plays, missing their assignments and their tackles. On one play — a double reverse for a touchdown — Koetter said his defense looked like the Keystone Cops.
“I’ve studied their film probably 11 times,” defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul said of that game. “After that game, watching it probably 11 times — even when I’m home. I made a lot of mistakes in that game.”
McCaffrey serves as the engine to that offense. It still goes through quarterback Cam Newton, but McCaffrey’s flexibility makes for matchup problems, and when you focus too much on stopping him, the Panthers have other weapons, like explosive receivers like rookie D.J. Moore, Devin Funchess, Curtis Samuel and tight end Greg Olson, not to mention Newton’s ability to run.
“They’ve got a lot of targets, but this guy has really been prolific for them, there’s no question about it,” Bucs defensive coordinator Mark Duffner said. “… Execution will be critical in terms of people doing the proper assignments of their job and then tackling and pursuit areas we were not consistent in the first time we played them.
“The objective this week is to have great eye discipline in terms of what your job is all about and then do a great job of finishing and tacking.”
Right now, McCaffrey is one of just eight players since the merger to post at least 750 rushing and 600 receiving yards through the season’s first 12 weeks. And he’s on pace for a 1,101-yard rushing and 885-yard receiving season, an accomplishment previously made by just one player since the merger: Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk in 1998 and 1999.
“Because he’s versatile, you don’t have to sub him out,” Carolina coach Ron Rivera said.
“You can just move him into other spots and put him in another position to give him a chance to make that play that you want. I think that’s the best thing about having guys like that, is that with their versatility, they become a threat, and he’s been a threat for us at many positions.”
McCaffrey has 12 plays for gains of 20 yards or more — eight receiving and four rushing — and three of those plays came in the Nov. 4 game against the Bucs at Bank of America Stadium. He gained 39 yards on a screen pass to the left, hurdling over cornerback Carlton Davis before getting pushed out of bounds, and added a 35-yard run and a 20-yard reception.
“He’s in the game a lot,” safety Justin Evans said. “They try to give him the ball a lot, so he’s a big part of their offense, and, really, a lot of plays are designed to go to him.
“You’ve just got to be on key to it, and know that they’re trying to go to him and try to take it away. … You’ve just got to be focused on your key and do your job, try not to see too much, try not to do too much. Just man on man.”