Christian McCaffrey, who missed the 49ers’ Week 1 game against the New York Jets, has been ruled out for their Week 2 match against the Minnesota Vikings and could be out longer that too.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Friday that McCaffrey won’t play on Sunday, but had some even worse news. Shanahan said the 49ers are now considering placing McCaffrey on injured reserve, saying Thursday was his “worst day” with his calf/Achilles injury. That would keep him out for at least the next four games.
This is a drastic turn of events for McCaffrey and the Niners. He suffered a calf strain at the beginning of training camp and sat out the entire preseason. There was optimism that McCaffrey would return for Week 1, but hours before the game, McCaffrey was surprisingly ruled out.
This week, Shanahan seemed pessimistic about a McCaffrey return in Week 2. Now, he could be out even longer.
If the 49ers place McCaffrey on IR, he won’t be eligible to return until Week 6 at the earliest. The 49ers’ next four games are against the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, and Arizona Cardinals. Then, their Week 6 matchup is a Thursday night game against the Seattle Seahawks.
If McCaffrey isn’t able to return by then, his next opportunity would be on Oct. 20 in a Super Bowl rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs.
