CHARLOTTE – At long last, Christian McCaffrey is heading to the Pro Bowl.

Despite it being just his third year in the league, this particular accolade feels like it's been a long time coming.

"It's a great honor, definitely a great honor," McCaffrey said on Wednesday. "It's a difficult thing to do in this league. There's a lot of really talented running backs, so it's an honor and I'm happy to represent the Panthers."

After totaling 1,965 scrimmage yards and 13 touchdowns in 2018, McCaffrey was left out of the trip to Orlando after his breakout season. You could tell he felt a little snubbed.

But this season, he's played like a man possessed – and no one can ignore the numbers he's put up in 2019. That's why McCaffrey finished fifth overall in fan voting.

"I think statistically I've had a good year, so maybe that's it," McCaffrey said. "I'm not 100 percent sure."

"Good" is one way to put it. McCaffrey doesn't need to talk about his production, though. The numbers say it all.

Through 14 games, McCaffrey has totaled 1,307 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, plus another 814 yards and four touchdowns through the air. Just last week, McCaffrey became the first Panther in franchise history to cross the 2,000 total yard mark for a single season, and broke Steve Smith Sr.'s all-purpose yards record set in 2001.

Just a reminder, there are still two games left on the schedule.

When McCaffrey makes his way to Orlando, he'll be joined by fellow NFC running backs Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott. Cook, who trails McCaffrey by nearly 500 scrimmage yards, was one of the few players to edge CMC out in fan voting.

While everyone can appreciate the recognition of being selected for the Pro Bowl, some players choose not to participate after a long regular season. That won't be the case for McCaffrey, though.

"I'll definitely go," McCaffrey said. "I'll go for sure and play and have fun with it. Just to be recognized and be honored is a cool feat for me.

"It's my first one and hopefully we can get a lot more going forward."