Todd Bowles doesn't like what he's seen from Christian McCaffrey since Week 2
In Week 2, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers shut down Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey in a 20-14 road victory in front of a national audience.
Since then, all McCaffrey has done is dominate every opponent he's faced, putting up ridiculous numbers as both a runner and a receiver.
The week after McCaffrey struggled against Tampa Bay (16 carries for 37 yards, two receptions for 16 yards, no touchdowns), he racked up 188 total yards against the Arizona Cardinals, 179 against the Houston Texans, and a whopping 237 against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. He's found the end zone five times over that stretch, including scoring runs of 76 and 84 yards.
In his preparations for a second chance to face McCaffrey, Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles hasn't been thrilled while watching the former Stanford star run all over opposing defenses.
"Everything I've seen on the film, I didn't like, because he's running for touchdowns all the time," Bowles said Thursday.
When asked about the way the Panthers have been using him in recent weeks, Bowles said the team isn't using him any differently than they did when they faced him in Week 2, they've just been more effective.
"Nothing different," Bowles said. "They're running the ball a lot better. You can tell they've come together as a unit. They understand who they are, and they do it very well."
Including his Week 1 performance against the Los Angeles Rams, McCaffrey is averaging over 200 total yards per game over the four contests against opponents other than Tampa Bay. He's found the end zone seven times against those opponents, something he failed to do in Week 2 against the Bucs.
There's no doubt McCaffrey is on fire right now, but he ran into a buzz-saw against Tampa Bay just a few weeks ago. Sunday's matchup in London will give him a chance to prove it was nothing more than a fluke, while Bowles and his defense will be hoping to reprise their dominant performance from September.
