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Dolphins to Face Hobbled 49ers Running Game

Injuries continue to pile up for the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers

Alain Poupart

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) is tackled by Buffalo Bills safety Taylor Rapp (9) and safety Damar Hamlin (3) in the second quarter at Highmark Stadium.
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) is tackled by Buffalo Bills safety Taylor Rapp (9) and safety Damar Hamlin (3) in the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
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The Miami Dolphins' Week 16 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers at Hard Rock Stadium is losing luster by the minute.

What had the makings of a showdown between AFC and NFC contenders now will look like a battle for playoff survival between two teams who have fallen short of expectations.

And now the 49ers will have to play that game with their top two running backs, as injuries continue to decimate them.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that both Christian McCaffrey (knee) and Jordan Mason (ankle) would be going on injured reserve, which means they will not be available for the Dec. 22 game.

They will join a long list of teammates on IR, including yet another running back, Elijah Mitchell.

The 49ers' IR list also includes high-end starters like WR Brandon Aiyuk, DT Javon Hargrave and S Talanoa Hufanga, while LB Dre Greenlaw has spent the whole season so far on PUP as the result of his freakish Achilles injury from the Super Bowl.

The one bright spot for the 49ers, in terms of injuries, is that Hufanga and Greenlaw are scheduled to begin practicing this week. That means they likely will be ready for the game at Hard Rock Stadium, barring any setbacks.

The 49ers dropped to 5-7 on the season with their 35-10 loss against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, but have a chance to come to Miami back at .500 with their next two games being at home, against the Chicago Bears in Week 14 and against the Los Angeles Rams in the Week 15 Thursday night game.

The Dolphins, of course, will face the New York Jets and Houston Texans before they face the 49ers.

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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

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