Christian McCaffrey, the star running back for the San Francisco 49ers, was added to the team’s injury report on Saturday, casting a shadow of doubt over his availability for Sunday’s crucial matchup against the Tennessee Titans. The designation, a back injury, has listed him as questionable for the game. Despite this official status, reports indicate that McCaffrey is still expected to participate in the contest.
McCaffrey’s presence on the injury report comes after a somewhat disrupted week of practice. He was absent from Wednesday’s session due to illness and had limited participation on Thursday. However, he returned to full practice on Friday, and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan expressed optimism, stating McCaffrey looked good during that final session. This suggests that McCaffrey’s back issue may have resurfaced either late Friday or sometime on Saturday.
Should McCaffrey be unable to play, backup running back Brian Robinson would step into the starting role against the Titans. Robinson has contributed 328 rushing yards and two touchdowns to the 49ers’ offense this season. It’s worth noting that McCaffrey and Robinson are the only two halfbacks to have carried the ball for San Francisco in a game this year, highlighting McCaffrey’s significant workload and importance to the team’s ground game.
The Stakes for the 49ers
This upcoming game holds considerable weight for the San Francisco 49ers, who currently stand at a 9-4 record. They are in third place within the fiercely competitive NFC West division. Their divisional rivals, the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks, are both ahead of them in the standings with identical 10-3 records. A victory is therefore essential for the 49ers to maintain their playoff positioning and keep pace in the divisional race.
McCaffrey’s Historic Season
At 29 years old, Christian McCaffrey has been a dominant force for the 49ers throughout the current season. In 13 games played, he has amassed 849 rushing yards and scored eight touchdowns on the ground. In the passing game, he has been equally impactful, catching 85 passes for 806 yards and five receiving touchdowns.
McCaffrey is on a remarkable pace to achieve a rare statistical milestone: 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season. This would mark the second time in his nine-year NFL career that he has accomplished this feat. The exclusive club of players who have achieved this “double-double” in a single season includes only two other notable names: former San Francisco 49ers great Roger Craig, who did so in 1985, and Marshall Faulk, who achieved it with the St. Louis Rams in 1999. McCaffrey first joined this elite group in 2019 while playing for the Carolina Panthers, where he recorded an impressive 1,387 rushing yards and 1,005 receiving yards.
His journey to San Francisco was a significant one, as he was traded from the Panthers during the 2022 season. His impact was immediate and transformative. He went on to lead the NFL in rushing yards in 2023, setting a career-high with 1,459 yards on the ground.