Will the 49ers start newly signed RB Christian McCaffrey against the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football?
Following his sensational trade to the 49ers only days ago, the star running back is now set to make his San Francisco debut against the Chiefs on Sunday.
Having already shocked us with their ‘move of the season’ to acquire the star running back, San Francisco looks set to do so again with reports claiming he’ll play this Sunday night.
49ers set to start Christian McCaffrey 3 days after signing him
Despite the 49ers initially implying, that new signing Christian McCaffrey would not start this Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, it would appear they’ve had a change of heart. Reports now confirm, that the former Panthers running back will in fact suit up on Sunday night. Whether it’s a case of McCaffrey having impressed his new team, or their desire to hit back at an opponent that beat them in the 2019 Super Bowl; the fact is McCaffrey is going to start just three days after his blockbuster trade from Carolina. What’s more, is that reports suggest that the Niners already have already prepared a host of plays in their game plan for the running back.
Christian McCaffrey at a glance
By the time the Carolina Panthers fired head coach Matt Rhule, it was already a train wreck of a situation. At 1-5 for the season the franchise has since committed to a full-on rebuild and with that, the offloading of players has begun. Aside from McCaffrey who’s clearly one of the biggest, there was also the trade of Robbie Anderson, who was actually ranked No. 2 on the team in receiving yards behind McCaffrey. Where McCaffrey himself is concerned, the prolific RB has registered in his six games this season, some 393 rushing yards - that’s 4.6 yards per rush - 277 receiving yards at 6.4 yards per target and three total touchdowns. Quite frankly, the 49ers have got themselves a live wire in McCaffrey. Indeed, that’s probably explains why they’ve wasted no time in putting him into the lineup.
What did the 49ers give up for Christian McCaffrey?
Let’s be real, it took an arm and a leg to get acquire McCaffrey. There is, however, one positive for the Niners. Despite the slew of draft picks that they had to give up to land the running back, they maneuvered in such a way that they didn’t have to relinquish a first-rounder, so there is that. Where the Panthers are concerned, they got a second, third and fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, as well as a fifth-rounder in 2024. Currently 3-3, this would be the moment for San Francisco to jump start both their offense and their campaign and with a player like McCaffrey in the mix, that’s now a real possibility. Consider for a moment, the Niners will now boast an offense that includes Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk and of course the recently acquired McCaffrey. Few if any offenses in the league are that loaded. Could we be looking at a contender if things go well? Probably.
If you want to catch the 49ers and McCaffrey in action, be sure to check in with us here, as we’ll be taking you through all of the action with our live text coverage. Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. ET at Levi’s Stadium, so don’t miss it!