Latest Christian McCaffrey injury could have serious repercussions

The San Francisco 49ers fell to a comprehensive 35-10 defeat in the snow to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, slipping to a 5-7 record. That wasn’t the only bad news to befall 49rs fans, however, as running back Christian McCaffrey picked up another injury.

The 28-year-old is thought to have injured the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in his right knee, meaning that his season is now in serious doubt.

“I think potentially,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan replied when asked if the injury could be season-ending. “I think PCL is usually a couple weeks, but I’m not exactly sure yet.”

McCaffrey recently returned from an Achilles injury but only made it to the second quarter in Buffalo when he burst through the Buffalo’s defence and was tripped by safety Taylor Rapp, McCaffrey’s right knee making a heavy contact with the ground on landing.

On the next play he took a tumble and went to ground without contact. He immediately limped off the field and towards the injury tent, before swiftly being taken to the locker room. By the halftime break, McCaffrey had been ruled out.

“It was frustrating,” Shanahan said in the postgame press conference. “He had a great week of practice and I could feel his urgency and stuff and thought he came out great, looking really good, and it looked like he just got his shoestring there... I hurt for him, and tough for our team not having him.”

How long to recover from a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury?

The outlook for McCaffrey’s 2024 does not look good after Sunday’s injury in a blowout loss. The 49ers are currently bottom of an admittedly tight NFC West, meaning that their place in the postseason is in real jeopardy. Unless they can turn their recent poor run around, we may have seen the last of Christian McCaffrey for this season.

The 49ers play their final regular season game against the Arizona Cardinals on January 5, little over a month away. In early September Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua strained his PCL, missing five games before returning in late October. If McCaffrey’s injury is of a similar severity, he’s unlikely to return in time for the Cardinals clash.

It’s a major blow for the 49ers, who have suffered a number of serious injuries this year. Receiver Brandon Aiyuk and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave have already been ruled out for the rest of the season. Having only recently returned from injury, the loss of McCaffrey will come as a major blow.

“We all saw what he was doing, and he was on fire,” 49ers QB Brock Purdy said after the game. “He looked great. Hitting the holes hard and bouncing off guys and making some real explosive plays, and that’s huge... He’s one of the best running backs in the league and you lose him like that. I think it takes away just sort of how we do some things within the offense. It sucks.”

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