CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey didn't anticipate having to jump about 5 feet to get over Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis during his 32-yard, first-quarter reception on Sunday.

It just instinctively happened, as everything seems to with the eighth pick of the 2017 draft.

But McCaffrey did anticipate some of the comments he heard after the 42-28 victory.

"'White man can jump,'" McCaffrey said with a laugh. "Got a lot of those, but I saw those coming."

McCaffrey has been relatively quiet the past month, in terms of big games and spectacular plays. In some ways, he has been overshadowed by 2018 first-round pick DJ Moore and 2017 second-round pick Curtis Samuel.

Samuel actually stole the spotlight on this day, with a 33-yard touchdown run on a double reverse on which he covered 103.9 yards.

But the leap was a reminder that McCaffrey is just as dynamic as anybody on Carolina's offense. He picked up another 25 yards after the catch to set up the first of his two touchdown runs after having only one in the first seven games.

His overall play was a reminder of just how valuable he is.

McCaffrey rushed 17 times for a team-high 79 yards and two touchdowns and caught five passes on six targets for a team-high 78 yards. That's a substantial increase from the past month.

McCaffrey averaged 11.5 rushes for 38 yards the past four games since gaining 184 yards on 28 carries in a Week 3 win against Cincinnati. He averaged 4.8 catches per game for 30.6 yards in the five games since he caught 14 passes for 102 yards in a Week 2 loss at Atlanta.

The Panthers (6-2) will need the type of consistency McCaffrey showed Sunday in the second half of the season, beginning with a Thursday night game at Pittsburgh, to be as explosive as they have been the past two games.

"He is an athletic, dynamic football player who just makes plays for us," coach Ron Rivera said. "That [leap] was about as exciting as it gets."

McCaffrey begged to differ. He said Greg Olsen's twisting, one-handed, second-quarter touchdown catch in the second quarter to make it 35-7 got the nod over his leap.

"Greg scored," McCaffrey said. "Greg put points up, so probably his catch."

But McCaffrey set up more points, whether with the ball or without it. Samuel's touchdown run began with a fake to the running back.

"We have so many weapons that many times you don't know who has the ball," McCaffrey said.

That will help on a short week against a Pittsburgh (5-2-1) team that is coming into its own with four straight wins since a 1-2-1 start.

"It's tougher to do it on the road, for sure," McCaffrey said of playing again in four days. "But our guys don't blink. Our guys come to play wherever we are."

McCaffrey didn't blink on his leap. It happened so fast that he couldn't even dissect it.

"I'd love to sit here and go through my mindset during that, but I don't remember," he said. "Football is a very instinctual game, and it's very fast-paced. We kind of just react, and that's what went through my head."

Newton called the move "pretty solid."

"And then for him to keep his balance," he said. "I know we all saw that commercial of him and J [actor/comedian J.B. Smoove]."

If you haven't seen it, Smoove tells McCaffrey that he doesn't want him cutting his fingernails and toenails.

"Wild animals don't go to nail salons," Smoove says. "The Panthers are dangerous animals."

Newton then made a cat-like move with his hands to show how McCaffrey, who has proven to be dangerous, landed on his feet to continue the play.

"It's just so fun to be on a team like this, having guys like C-Mac," Newton said. "It's going to tell a lot about our team, how we get prepared on a short week going against a very good team."