Christian McCaffrey held out of Panthers practice Thursday ahead of Vikings game

Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey’s injury status for Sunday’s game took a turn for the worse Thursday.

McCaffrey was held out of Carolina’s practice Thursday afternoon with a hamstring injury he suffered Sept. 23 against Houston. He had practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday.

The Panthers (3-2) are 3-0 when McCaffrey plays this season and are 0-2 when he doesn’t. Dating back to last season, McCaffrey has missed 15 of Carolina’s past 21 games with four different injuries. In the six games he has played, though, he has scored seven total touchdowns.

On Wednesday, Panthers coach Matt Rhule said McCaffrey had a 50-50 chance to play against the Vikings (2-3) Sunday. Rhule typically doesn’t speak to the media on Thursdays and did not this week.

It’s unclear why McCaffrey was held out Thursday or how it affects whether he will play. In general, Panthers players who don’t practice on Thursdays also don’t play on Sundays.

“Christian is one of our best players, we all know that,” said Panthers left tackle Cam Erving, whose return to left tackle Sunday should help the offensive line’s performance. “So him not being out there hurts. But nobody in this building is working to get back on the field harder than Christian McCaffrey.”

McCaffrey has missed 15 games over the past two seasons with various injuries ranging from an AC shoulder joint injury to a high-ankle sprain and a quad injury. In his first three seasons with Carolina, from 2017-19, he played in every single game (48 of 48). In April 2020, the Panthers inked McCaffrey to a four-year, $64-million contract extension, which made him the highest-paid running back in the NFL at the time. In McCaffrey’s absence last Sunday against Philadelphia, rookie running back Chuba Hubbard ran for 101 yards.

▪ The good news for the Panthers is linebacker Shaq Thompson returned to practice. He did not participate, but he was without a walking boot for the first time.

Rhule had already ruled Thompson out for Sunday’s game due to a foot injury.

The Panthers are limping into the Vikings game on a two-game losing streak. Sunday’s 1 p.m. game is close to a must-win situation, as Carolina’s schedule gets much tougher on the back end. The Panthers play Tampa Bay twice, as well as Arizona and the Buffalo Bills in their final four games in December and January. Those three teams have a combined 13-2 record and are all Super Bowl threats.