NFL
Christian McCaffrey placed on IR: Will the 49ers RB be back for the playoffs?
Running back McCaffrey has been placed on injured reserve yet again, although it might not matter as far as the postseason is concerned.
The San Francisco 49ers reached the Super Bowl last year but things have not gone nearly as well for them in the 2024 NFL season, with Christian McCaffrey’s injury issues epitomising their problems.
For the second weekend in succession, the Niners suffered a heavy defeat on the road on Sunday. Their week 12 thrashing by the Green Bay Packers (38-10) was followed by a humbling at the hands of the Buffalo Bills (35-10). To make matters worse, running back McCaffrey, the NFL Offensive Player of the Year for 2023, suffered a knee injury and has been placed on injured reserve…again.
How long will McCaffrey be out? Which 49ers games will he miss?
The 28-year-old missed the first eight games of the season due to bilateral Achilles tendinitis and has broken down again after just four outings. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed McCaffrey had suffered a posterior cruciate ligament injury that will keep him out of action for six weeks.
That means the former Carolina Panthers star won’t play again during the regular season. He will miss games against the Chicago Bears (December 8), Los Angeles Rams (December 12), Miami Dolphins (December 22), Detroit Lions (30) and Arizona Cardinals (early January, date TBC), although there looks to be a real chance we don’t see him again until the 2025 season.
McCaffrey and 49ers' slim playoff hopes
Should the six-week layoff prove to be correct, McCaffrey would be fit to return to action sometime around January 13, the day the wild-card playoff round is due to finish. However, the chances of the 49ers being involved appear to be slim.
Three successive defeats have left the Californians bottom of NFC West with a 5-7 record, the 11th best in the conference. The only saving grace is that the Seattle Seahawks, the current NFC West leaders, are 7-5, so they could still win the division if they can string together a run of victories.
The Niners could mathematically still sneak into the playoffs without winning the division, although that doesn’t look to be particularly realistic given the records of the teams ahead of them in the race.
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