16 the one, 2024, 6:00 PM ET
Christian McCaffrey returned to 49ers training on Tuesday after recovering from a calf injury.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — With the San Francisco 49ers’ playoff game scheduled to begin Saturday, Running back Christian McCaffrey returned to practice Tuesday after recovering from a right calf injury.
Running back Christian McCaffrey’s impact in the running and passing game made him an indispensable element of the 49ers’ offense. Getty Images/Thearon W. Henderson
McCaffrey suffered what he and the Niners described as a “mild” calf strain in the Week 17 win against the Washington Commanders. He sat out a meaningless Week 18 loss to the Los Angeles Rams with an eye toward returning at full strength for the postseason.
He returned Tuesday when the top-seeded Niners They opened their week of preparation for the NFC divisional round matchup contra los Green Bay Packers.
McCaffrey participated fully in the session and is at full speed for Saturday, according to coach Kyle Shanahan.
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“I think he’s prepared and ready to play, the same way he was last year.”Shanahan said. “Probably the same way he was in a playoff game when he was 5, or in a scrimmage. Christian is always the same. He’s always waiting for that moment and he’s been waiting for this moment for a while.”
McCaffrey and the 49ers were optimistic over the past two weeks that he’d be fine for the start of the postseason, but it’s still a welcome development given everything McCaffrey has meant to San Francisco this season. Despite missing the final game of the year, McCaffrey won his first NFL rushing crown, finishing with 1,459 rushing yards. This was 292 more than Derrick Henry, who finished second.
McCaffrey also led the league in yards from scrimmage per game (126.4), first downs (114) and runs of 10+ yards (44). He finished tied for first in total touchdowns with 21.
Before the end of the regular season, McCaffrey had not missed a game as a Niner since arriving via trade in October 2022. But McCaffrey said he could have played in Week 18 if necessary.
“I’ve played in worse times,” McCaffrey said at the time. “It’s one of those things where right now, in the situation we’re in, caution is probably best. But I knew he was going to be fine regardless of what the test said. So, it was more of a precautionary situation.” and to be intelligent rather than to do something stupid.
Because they had already clinched first place in the NFC, the Niners did not have to play on wild card weekend. However, they had a couple of practices on Thursday and Friday of last week, and even put on full pads for Friday’s practice. McCaffrey did not participate in any of those training sessions.
2024-01-16 23:00:00
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