The last time the San Francisco 49ers squared off with the Carolina Panthers was in Week 5 of the 2022 season, a game in which Christian McCaffrey rushed for 54 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, adding another 50 yards on seven receptions.
Of course, McCaffrey was on the wrong side of the Niners' 37-15 victory that afternoon in Charlotte, as the Stanford alum was still wearing Panther Blue at the time. However, that would prove to be his penultimate game in a Carolina uniform, as he was traded to San Francisco just 11 days later, thus leaving the organization that made him the eighth overall pick in the 2017 draft with the fourth-most rushing yards (3,980) and the sixth-most receiving yards (3,292) in franchise history.
For the first time since putting on the 49ers' Red & Gold, McCaffrey is set to square off with his former team when San Francisco welcomes Carolina to Levi's Stadium for a Monday Night Football matchup that means a great deal to both clubs in regard to the NFC playoff picture.
But while the three-time Pro Bowler admitted to the media this past Thursday that he was a little dejected that he couldn't say goodbye to his Carolina teammates, given the quick turnaround with the trade, he holds no ill will toward the Panthers whatsoever and doesn't view Monday night's contest as any sort of grudge match or revenge game.
Christian McCaffrey's "extra motivation" for Monday night has nothing to do with the Panthers
McCaffrey did say he has some extra motivation going into this game, but also stated that it has absolutely nothing to do with facing his former club, as that's simply his approach every single time he steps foot on the field.
"There’s always added motivation,"McCaffrey said. "I take every week extremely seriously."
Yeah, that's pretty much par for the course for how McCaffrey has handled his business in interviews over the years. He's obviously handled his business on the field over the years as well—when healthy, of course, which he thankfully has been this season for a 49ers team that has been forced to fight through an inordinate amount of injuries.
Easily the frontrunner in the Comeback Player of the Year race right now after missing all but four games a season ago, McCaffrey comes into the matchup with Carolina leading the league in total yards from scrimmage, tallying 707 yards on the ground while adding another 732 yards on 74 receptions. His 11 total touchdowns (six rushing, five receiving) are also good for a tie for the second-most among all players, trailing only Jonathan Taylor, who has found the end zone a ridiculous 17 times for the Indianapolis Colts.
McCaffrey firing on all cylinders is undoubtedly bad news for an average Panthers defense that has surrendered 325.9 total yards (15th), 212.8 passing yards (16th), 113.1 rushing yards (17th), and 22.6 points (T-12) per game.
McCaffrey may still have plenty of love for the Panthers, but it certainly won't look like it on Monday night when he puts his game face on.