There is more but I only pasted the relevant part :
Christian McCaffrey’s status for Sunday’s game remains a closely guarded secret. But the Panthers running back let everyone know how he feels about Thursday games.
Speaking to reporters for the first time since injuring his hamstring in a Thursday night win at Houston on Sept. 23, McCaffrey said he “definitely” believes the short week played a big role in his injury.
“It was extremely frustrating. I don’t prefer Thursday night games,” McCaffrey said. “You go through a lot in a football game, and then have to — you really get two days to recover and then one of those days is a travel day. So you get two days to recover, you hop on a plane, you’re in a hotel, then you go out and play in a football game.
“It’s just really tough. But it is what it is. It’s part of the game, and obviously frustrating.”
McCaffrey, who missed 13 games last season due to ankle, shoulder and quad injuries, appeared to hurt himself at Houston while trying to turn the corner on a short run early in the second quarter. He spent 22 minutes in the medical tent after the non-contact play testing his leg “in a bunch of different ways” to see if he could return, McCaffrey said.
After sitting out last week’s loss at Dallas, McCaffrey practiced on a limited basis Wednesday and Thursday — “just a little bit here and there,” he said. Meanwhile, everyone from Matt Rhule to McCaffrey to quarterback Sam Darnold has said McCaffrey will be a game-time decision Sunday against the Eagles.
Part of that is the Panthers’ taking a cautious approach with their best offensive player, as they should. But it certainly feels like there’s some gamesmanship going on, as well, with Rhule wanting to keep Eagles coach Nick Sirianni guessing.
If I’m making the decision, I’m holding McCaffrey out at least another week. Soft-tissue injuries are too tricky, and McCaffrey’s too valuable to this team’s playoff chances to put him out there at anything less than 100 percent — especially behind an offensive line that could be missing two starters.
Left tackle Cam Erving (neck) has yet to practice this week and center Matt Paradis missed Thursday with an illness. Left guard Pat Elflein has been on IR since injuring his hamstring (case in point) Week 1 against the Jets.
If McCaffrey doesn’t play, the Panthers again will lean on a backfield-by-committee approach with rookie Chuba Hubbard, Rodney Smith and Royce Freeman.
“We’ll see his status come game time. Preparing for everybody in that room — Royce, Chuba and Rodney — to take on the load like they did last week,” offensive coordinator Joe Brady said.
“We’re always confident in the guys that are in that room that they’re going to be able to have success. Obviously, any time 22’s out on the football field, he makes us better. But we’ll see come Sunday.”
For what it’s worth, this situation is similar to last November when quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was a game-time decision against Detroit with a knee injury. Rhule watched Bridgewater and P.J. Walker warm up, then made the call to go with Walker in what would be a 20-0 victory. Bridgewater has since said he probably came back too soon by playing the following week in his homecoming game at Minnesota.
Rhule held McCaffrey out of all three preseason games to save hits for the regular season, as he put it. But McCaffrey’s workload ramped up in a hurry, with a combined 59 touches in the first two games. In retrospect, the 29 touches against the Saints — including 24 carries — were too much with another game four days later.
“I think I’m not alone in this, but I would probably argue against them,” McCaffrey said of Thursday night games. “I understand it’s part of the game. I can sit up here and complain. I’m not complaining. It is frustrating sometimes. You feel like something could have been avoided with a little more rest (between games).
“But I’m sure if I got through that game 100 percent, I wouldn’t be saying anything about it. That’s just me and my personal views.”
https://theathletic.com/2875710/2021/10/08/christian-mccaffrey-not-a-fan-of-thursday-nights-but-what-about-his-status-for-sunday-plus-game-prediction/
I personally would also rather he sit out at least this weekend.
