San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey will miss the regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Rams with a calf injury. What is the latest update on his injury?
Christian McCaffrey Injury Update
McCaffrey injured his right calf on a three-yard run with 7:49 left in the third quarter last Sunday against the Washington Commanders and did not return to the game. He could be seen getting the calf taped up and then testing it by running around on the sideline late in the 27-10 victory.
McCaffrey called the injury “pretty minor.” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said McCaffrey might have a strain.
“We think he’ll be all right,” Shanahan said. “I don’t know if he would’ve been able to go next week or not, but we’ll have to find out more [Monday]. He was moving around all right on the sidelines, so hoping it’s not too bad.”
The 49ers have clinched the top seed in the NFC, rendering next week’s regular-season finale meaningless. This gives McCaffrey roughly three weeks to heal up before needing to play again.
“I think it was minor and just made the smart move, especially not knowing what was going to happen next week,” McCaffrey said, via Nick Wagoner of ESPN. “I didn’t just want to go in there and make it any worse. With certain things, you can’t be dumb about it.”
McCaffrey spoke to reporters ahead of Wednesday’s practice, offering a positive update on his injury.
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“I’ve played through worse,” McCaffrey said. “It’s just one of those things where, right now, in the situation we’re in, precaution is probably better. But definitely, I knew I was going to be good regardless of what the test said, so it’s more of a cautionary situation, being smart about it, than doing something stupid.”
McCaffrey had 14 carries for 64 yards and four catches for an additional 27 yards before leaving the matchup on Sunday.
McCaffrey leads the NFL with 1,459 yards rushing and became the third player in league history with 2,000 scrimmage yards in a season with two different franchises. Eric Dickerson and Marshall Faulk are the other running backs to accomplish that feat.
McCaffrey has been so dominant this season that he’s made himself an MVP candidate. In addition, the 49ers are currently favored to win the Super Bowl this year.
With McCaffrey being out and in preparation for San Francisco’s Divisional Round matchup the weekend of Jan. 20, the Niners will also opt to rest quarterback Brock Purdy. Sam Darnold will lead the offense in his place.
“Brock is the only guy I know for sure I don’t plan on playing,” Shanahan said. “You can rest seven guys if nobody is hurt if you get two practice squad guys up. We have at least six guys injured right now, so I only know for sure we can rest one. I went with our starting quarterback.”
The team will take on the Rams on Sunday, who will also be resting their starting QB Matthew Stafford for backup Carson Wentz. The Rams are locked into the playoffs but will have either the No. 6 or No. 7 seed once Week 18 wraps up.
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