Panthers star RB Christian McCaffrey injures hamstring, out vs. Texans

Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Carolina Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey suffered a hamstring injury during the second quarter of Thursday night's game against the Houston Texans and won't return to the matchup.

The injury happened when McCaffrey was running to the left sideline on a first-down carry from the Texans' 14-yard line. He used a stutter step to avoid a defender and immediately signaled to the Panthers' sideline after the 2-yard gain.

McCaffrey walked off the field and remained in the blue medical tent for more than 20 minutes before emerging and heading to the Panthers' locker room. He appeared to walk under his own power with a slight limp.

The Panthers subsequently ruled him out for the remainder of the game.

Chuba Hubbard, a 2021 fourth-round draft pick out of Oklahoma State, replaced McCaffrey in the Thursday Night Football contest.

McCaffrey, who missed 13 games last season due to multiple injuries, entered the game against the Texans as the NFL's leader in yards from scrimmage (324) this season.

The 25-year-old McCaffrey exited in the third quarter of last week's win over the New Orleans Saints to receive a couple of IV bags for what he called "onset cramps." Earlier this week, he said he was good to go.

During the 2019 season, McCaffrey became the third player in league history to record at least 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season.