Baker Mayfield Speaks On Christian McCaffrey’s Absence: ‘He’s Gone Zero Dark Thirty on Us’

Where is Christian McCaffrey?

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey was absent on Thursday. Baker Mayfield apparently has no clue where he is. McCaffrey was absent for the second straight day from the team’s practice in the lead-up to their Week 4 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. The sixth-year veteran has gone down on the injury report with a thigh issue he suffered in this past Sunday’s 22-14 win over the New Orleans Saints. Head coach Matt Rhule doesn’t speak on Thursdays and offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo declined comment and his quarterback, so Baker decided to chime in on his whereabouts.

“Nah,” Mayfield said when asked if he knows what’s up with McCaffrey. “He’s gone zero-dark thirty on us. Ya know? Just keeping us guessing.”

Mayfield believes that they have guys who’ll be ready to go if McCaffrey doesn’t play.

“We trust our guys to step up,” Mayfield said. “I mean, we have Chuba Hubbard and [D’Onta] Foreman back there and they’ve played a lot of ball. So expecting them to be able to take that place, to know the game plan, to execute. We trust those guys. Obviously, it changes a defense’s outlook on our offense—whether it’s bringing multiple guys to kinda take Christian away or loading up the box for the run game. So, we’ll see.”

That wait-and-see approach will likely continue throughout the weekend, but it’s not looking good.

Leave it to Baker to stir the pot, even if that probably wasn’t his intention.

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