Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey out for season with ankle injury

Carolina Panthers All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey will be a spectator for more games than he plays in for the second consecutive season. 

The Panthers confirmed Monday that McCaffrey will miss the remainder of the season because of the ankle injury he suffered in Sunday's 33-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins that dropped them to 5-7 ahead of their bye. 

"Because of the time it would take to recover, and because it will be his second time on injured reserve this season, the news means McCaffrey will miss out on the Panthers' final five regular-season games after the bye week," Carolina said in its brief statement. 

McCaffrey was sidelined earlier this fall because of a hamstring injury he endured during a win over the Houston Texans on Sept. 23. As ESPN's David Newton noted, the 25-year-old ball-carrier was out for 13 games during the 2020 campaign because of injury issues. 

In total, McCaffrey tallied 442 rushing yards and a touchdown on 99 carries with 37 receptions for 343 yards and a score across seven games this season. Rookie Chuba Hubbard will likely replace McCaffrey atop the depth chart as he did earlier this fall.