San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said Thursday on KNBR that star running back Christian McCaffrey is expected to make his season debut on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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McCaffrey hasn’t played this season as he recovers from a calf strain in training camp that led to Achilles tendinitis. McCaffrey was placed on injured reserve ahead of Week 2, and didn’t have his practice window opened until this week, following San Francisco’s Week 9 bye.
McCaffrey returned to practice for the first time this season on Monday and reported no pain on Wednesday. Now, he’s set to finally make his 2024 debut, and join a 49ers team looking to make a run in the second half of the season.
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The 49ers have struggled through the first eight games of the 2024 season, going 4-4 with uncharacteristic losses to the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals in games they had big leads.
The offense hasn’t looked as explosive as it did last year, and the loss of McCaffrey has played a big part in that.
The 49ers offense runs through McCaffrey, the best running back and arguably the best skill position player in the NFL. McCaffrey is coming off a 2023 season in which he led the NFL with 1,459 rushing yards to go along with 14 touchdowns. He led the league in total touches (339), total yards from scrimmage (2,023), and total touchdowns (21).
McCaffrey was named to the Pro Bowl, earned First-Team All-Pro honors, and was the Offensive Player of the Year award winner. He finished third in NFL MVP voting behind Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. He was the only non-quarterback in the top five.
With McCaffrey set to make his return, the 49ers will look to get back to being the dominant force they were last season. The 49ers play the 4-5 Buccaneers in Week 10, before facing the currently 4-5 Seattle Seahawks in a huge divisional matchup in Week 11. Then, the 49ers play two of the league’s best teams, the Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills, both on the road.
It remains to be seen how much work McCaffrey gets in his return, and if he’s on some sort of snap count. The 49ers have received tons of production from backup running back Jordan Mason, and will likely use him to spell McCaffrey as he works his way back.
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