San Francisco 49ers will be without Christian McCaffrey, one of its main stars, for a long time. After many rumors and speculations about the status of the running back, head coach Kyle Shanahan will continue to deal with a sensitive loss for his team.
It will be at least four more games of absence for McCaffrey, who continues to suffer from a calf injury and Achilles tendinitis. Shanahan’s 49ers already played their 2024 NFL opener without their starting running back, pulling ahead in the 32-19 victory over the New York Jets.
McCaffrey will be listed on injured reserve and is expected to miss only a month, avoiding an aggravation of his physical condition that would prevent him from being unavailable for most of the regular season. On Friday it was confirmed that he will miss Sunday’s Week 2 game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Shanahan will continue to rely for at least four more weeks on back-up RB Jordan Mason, who completed 28 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Jets. The head coach doesn’t want any future headaches regarding McCaffrey’s recovery.
Kyle Shanahan’s view on McCaffrey’s injury
At the beginning of the week, listing McCaffrey among the reserved injuries was not an option for the 49ers head coach. As the days went by, the running back was unable to make a full recovery and was ruled out for Sunday’s game. “It’s an intermittent injury, but the last few hours are the worst for him. We’re discussing his status constantly“, declared head coach Shanahan.
Christian McCaffrey’s stats last NFL season
Christian McCaffrey was a key star in helping the San Francisco 49ers reach last season’s 2024 Super Bowl final. The running back was named Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year, leading in touches (339) and marking 1459 ground yards, 2032 yards from the line of scrimmage and 21 touchdowns from the line of scrimmage.
San Francisco 49ers upcoming games
San Francisco 49ers defeated the New York Jets in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL and will look to extend their winning streak at the start of the campaign with these upcoming games:
- Week 2 – San Francisco 49ers vs Minnesota Vikings – 09/15
- Week 3 – San Francisco 49ers vs Los Angeles Rams – 09/22
- Week 4 – San Francisco 49ers vs New England Patriots – 09/29
- Week 5 – San Francisco 49ers vs Arizona Cardinals – 10/06