49ers Place Christian McCaffrey on IR

Jason Burke | Sep 14, 2024

August 18, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) watches warm ups before the game against the New Orleans Saints at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers are placing running back Christian McCaffrey on the injured reserve, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

ESPN sources: 49ers officially are placing All-Pro RB Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve due to his calf tightness and Achilles tendinitis. McCaffrey now will miss the next four games, at least, before the team assesses whether he can return in mid-October. pic.twitter.com/VV9GRihDrL

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 14, 2024

McCaffrey's calf tightness and Achilles tendinitis will keep him out for at least the next four games. Obviously the injury has a lot to do with the decision here, but it should also be noted that the Niners next two games are on artificial turf, so playing in either of those games could aggravate the injury even further.

The exact timeline for McCaffrey's return to the San Francisco roster is unknown and will depend on how he recovers in the coming weeks, but the thinking here is that this team is good enough to make the postseason, even without the 2023 AP Offensive Player of the Year for a few weeks. The goal for this team is to win the Super Bowl, and having their running back fully healthy is a must for that goal to be achieved.

Last season McCaffrey led the league in rushing yards with 1,459, touches with 339, and total yards with 2,023. He is a key part of their offense. Yet, in week one against the New York Jets, Jordan Mason got the start at running back and carried the ball 28 times for 147 yards on the ground, good for 5.2 yards per carry. He also added one catch for five yards.

The toughest opponent that San Francisco will face during this four-game stretch will be the Los Angeles Rams, who are ranked No. 14 in the NFL's power rankings heading into the second week of the season. The Minnesota Vikings (Week 2, No. 20), Arizona Cardinals (Week 5, No. 25) and New England Patriots (Week 4, No. 27) are the other opponents on the upcoming schedule. If the injury goes into a fifth week on the IR, the Niners would be facing the Seattle Seahawks in week six, and they are ranked as the No. 21 team in the sport.

The Niners should be able to collect plenty of wins in the coming weeks, even without the former Stanford star running back.