San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan says that running back Christian McCaffrey will not play during his team’s season finale against the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday due to a calf injury, via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.
McCaffrey suffered the injury during his team’s Week 17 win over the Washington Commanders.
The good news is that Shanahan says he does not think the issue will carry over into the playoffs, especially considering the 49ers will have a first-round bye.
“We’re real confident on that,” Shanahan said on McCaffrey being available for the postseason. “It was good news. It could have been a lot worse. We’re happy that they’ll take care of him this week and hopefully he’ll start getting to go during our off week.”
McCaffrey carried the ball 14 times for 64 yards against the Commanders.
The 27-year-old ends his regular season leading the NFL with 1,459 rushing yards to go along with 14 touchdowns. He averaged a robust 5.4 yards per carry and also hauled in 67 receptions for 564 yards and seven scores. It was McCaffrey’s first full season with the 49ers.
San Francisco initially acquired McCaffrey in a midseason trade with the Carolina Panthers last year. Through 11 games with the Niners in 2022, he totaled 746 yards and six touchdowns, logging 4.7 yards per attempt. He also caught 52 passes for 464 yards while reaching the end zone four times. Between his production with the Panthers and the 49ers, McCaffrey was awarded his second trip to the Pro Bowl.
McCaffrey, who played his collegiate football at Stanford, was originally selected by the Panthers with the eight overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft.
His most productive campaign in Carolina came in 2019, when he racked up 1,387 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground while snaring 116 balls for 1,005 yards and four scores as a receiver. He made the Pro Bowl and earned a First-Team All-Pro selection for his efforts.
The 49ers improved to 12-4 with their victory over Washington.
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