San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is back from injury for three games.
Two-time first-team All-Pro and reigning Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year missed the 49ers' first eight games this season because of bilateral Achilles tendonitis.
McCaffrey was activated from injured reserve on November 9 and made his season debut in San Francisco's 23-20 win in Week 10 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
McCaffrey carried 13 balls for 39 yards and also caught six balls for 68 yards in the win over the Bucs.
Then, in the 49ers' 20-17 loss to SeattleMcCaffrey rushed 19 times for 79 yards and hauled in four passes for 27 yards.
But after eleven runs for just 31 yards against the Green Bay Packers San Francisco's frustrating 38-10 loss last weekend raised serious questions about McCaffrey's readiness.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan pushed back against all of that negativity.
“Yeah, I think that wasn't the case, we didn't play that well the last two weeks or we didn't do that good the last two weeks,” Shanahan said. “I thought it would be better against Tampa, but we just didn't get a big result. But I think the speculation about Christian is a little unfair to him. Christian plays very well, he plays his ass off.”
Shanahan pointed out that McCaffrey never really got going during the offseason.
“But to think that a guy who misses an entire offseason is just going to be the same the day he comes back, I think would be unfair to every player in the world,” Shanahan said. “People who miss the offseason and training camp usually need a little time at the beginning of the year to get back to the level they were at last year, not to mention missing half the season on top of that.
“So I think Christian is doing a great job. But just to imagine him coming back in Week 8 when he hasn't been able to do anything for the last nine months or whatever and to think that he's just going to be in MVP shape is a very unrealistic expectation.”
Shanahan said McCaffrey looked right to him physically. Instead, Shanahan said the 49ers needed to do a better job of consistently creating running lanes and that with his vision, McCaffrey missed a big run or two that would have changed the outside perspective.
“I think he looks really good,” Shanahan said. “I think he's playing very well. I don't think he had many clean lanes. I think he had a couple against, when I say a couple, I actually mean two against Tampa, and if he hits those two, that's maybe just a half step off just by looking at it.
“But if you hit those two, the yards per carry will completely change, which looks better from the outside but doesn't change the actual situation. So sitting here and talking like he has problems, he's not going to do that at all. But it would be unfair to any player if we were disappointed that he wasn’t quite who he was or that he wasn’t exactly in MVP form.”
McCaffrey had a 23-yard reception early in the fourth quarter of the 49ers' loss to the Packers, but he fumbled the football.
Shanahan noted that McCaffrey's reaction to such moments makes him a special player.
“I think that’s what makes Christian great,” he said. “Christian, I told you, he is a psychopath in the best sense of the word. At the end of the game, Christian made a mistake there. No matter what I say to him, he probably won't forgive himself for a fumble for the rest of his life, he'll still be mad at himself. That's just how it rolls.
“That’s his attitude in everything. You should see him in OTAs when he drops the ball and how he acts afterward and how he apologizes to us later in the day for a dropped ball in OTAs in the first period. That makes him great and means a lot to him.”
McCaffrey moved to the 49ers at the trade deadline during the 2022 season. In his first full season with San Francisco in 2023, McCaffrey led the NFL in rushing yards (1,459), yards from scrimmage (2,023) and touchdowns (21).
McCaffrey racked up all of those eye-popping numbers despite sitting out the regular-season finale after San Francisco secured home-field advantage and a bye in the playoffs.
Fans hope to see more of this explosion from McCaffrey in the future.
San Francisco (5-6) returns to action on Sunday, December 1, with a date at (9-2) on Sunday Night Football. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:20 p.m. PT and the game will be broadcast on NBC and streamed on Peacock.