Achilles tendonitis robbed San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey the first eight games of 2024 Season. A knee injury knocked the running back out of Sunday night's Week 13 game against the Buffalo Billsand now the Pro Bowler could be sidelined for the rest of the year.
Coach Kyle Shanahan announced Monday that McCaffrey will be placed on injured reserve with a PCL injury that will sideline him for at least six weeks. That schedule means the 49ers, who are 5-9 and in last place in the NFC West, would have to make the playoffs to potentially see McCaffrey back on the field.
Taking a pitch from the quarterback in the second quarter Brock PurdyMcCaffrey barely moved with the ball before limping against the Bills and then sliding into the snow at Highmark Stadium, avoiding contact and immediately summoning medical attention. He was explosive early in the game, gaining 53 yards on just seven carries, but walked gingerly to the medical tent after the gaffe.
McCaffrey then walked to the locker room under his own power to undergo further evaluation, leaving the third-year backup behind Jordan Mason take over the backfield.
Apparently, McCaffrey suffered the injury on his previous 18-yard run with Bills safety Taylor Rapp could cause him to stumble around his right ankle. McCaffrey badly injured his right knee and was forced to play two games.
McCaffrey was named Offensive Player of the Year in 2023 and surpassed 2,000 scrimmage yards with the NFC champion 49ers. However, on Sunday evening he only played his fourth game of the 2024 season. He was also missing for a long time in 2020-2021, when he still played for the national team, due to injury Carolina Panthers.
