The San Francisco 49ers clinched the top seed in the NFL playoffs in the NFC after defeating the Washington Commander on Sunday. While 49ers fans are likely excited about last night’s result, not all of the postgame news was positive. All-Star quarterback Christian McCaffrey was injured in Sunday’s 27-10 win at Washington, helping the 49ers clinch the top seed in the NFC and a first-round bye. San Francisco (12-4) will host a divisional playoff game on Jan. 20 or 21, giving McCaffrey nearly three weeks to recover. Peter King of NBC Sports announced on Monday that McCaffrey had been diagnosed with a calf strain. Ezoic “We’re pretty confident,” coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that McCaffrey will be ready for the playoff finale. “It was good news. It could have been a lot worse. We’re glad he’s taken care of this week. Hopefully he’ll hit the ground running in the off week.” Ezoic McCaffrey leads the NFL with 1,459 receiving yards and 2,023 receiving yards and is tied with Miami’s Raheem Mostert for the most receiving touchdowns (21). Elijah Mitchell will step into the starting role this week against the Rams. Mitchell had 17 carries for 80 yards and a touchdown in the biggest game of the season against Commander. The San Francisco 49ers should be concerned about Christian McCaffrey’s injury history While Shanahan will naturally downplay the injury, McCaffrey’s injury history should not be taken lightly. “I think it was a no-brainer and I just made a smart move, especially not knowing what’s going to happen next week,” McCaffrey said, according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. “I just didn’t want to go in there and make it worse. There are certain things you can’t be stupid about.” Ezoic McCaffrey had 14 carries for 64 yards and four catches for 27 yards on Sunday before going to the sideline with an injury. Draftsharks.com takes an in-depth look at a player’s injury history and makes predictions about his health this season. Before the start of the 2023 season, they projected that McCaffrey had an 82 percent chance of being injured and missing three games this season. Ezoic They calculate those projections based on a player’s injury history, and Christian McCaffrey has a significant list of injuries — minor injuries that lingered and kept him off the field longer than expected — all the way back to the sprained ankle he suffered in the 12 a week against Miami in 2021. Dolphins – and was placed on season-ending injured reserve. So far, McCaffrey has been durable in 2023, and the San Francisco 49ers offense is significantly more dynamic with their versatile healthy backfield. His only injury that season came in Week 6 vs. Browns in the third quarter with an oblique injury, but he did not miss any significant time. San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey injured his calf Sunday against Washington San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey injured his calf Sunday against Washington Here is a complete list of Christian McCaffrey’s injury history: September 2020: McCaffrey sprains right ankle in Week 2 loss to Buccaneers and misses six games Ezoic November 2020: McCaffrey injured his shoulder on the final drive of Week 9 against the Chiefs. He missed 4 games December 2020: McCaffrey strained his hamstring before the Week 14 game. He missed 4 games due to injury. September 2021: McCaffrey suffered a hamstring strain in the Panthers’ Week 3 win over the Texans. He missed five games. Ezoic in november 2021: McCaffrey rolled his left ankle in the Week 12 loss to the Dolphins. He was placed on injured reserve on Monday and is out for the rest of the season. San Francisco 49ers Christian McCaffrey The San Francisco 49ers quarterback walks off the field injured during a game with the Carolina Panthers While Shanahan will inevitably downplay the extent of Christian McCaffrey’s injuries, the 49ers star’s health won’t be known until he takes the field in three weeks when the San Francisco 49ers host their first playoff game. However, with McCaffrey’s track record, late-season injuries should be a concern. He is crucial to the goal of the 49ers to win the Super Bowl at the end of the year.
