49ers' Christian McCaffrey suffered 'potential' season-ending injury against Bills, coach says.
San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey left Sunday night's 35-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills with a knee injury, but it turned out to be a lot worse than that.
McCaffrey is believed to have a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury and could “see” his season out, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said.
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San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, #23, tackles Buffalo Bills safety Taylor Rapp, down, during the first half of an NFL football game at Orchard Park, New York, Sunday, December 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
“I think PCL is usually a few weeks, but I'm not sure yet,” he added.
Running back has been the centerpiece of the 49ers' game plan early on against the Bills. As it snowed on the field at Highmark Stadium, McCaffrey ran the ball seven times and was tipped three times in the air.
He had 53 rushing yards and two catches for 14 yards before leaving the field.
It was a terrible mistake for a team plagued by injuries on both sides of the ball. The snow made things worse in San Francisco. Brock Purdy had just 94 passing yards on 18 attempts.
“He's one of the best running backs in the league,” Purdy said of McCaffrey. “When you lose him like that, I think it kills the way we do other things on offense.”
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, #23, is hit by Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, #3, in the first half of an NFL football game at Orchard Park, New York, Sunday, December 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
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Shanahan said he believes McCaffrey injured himself after an 18-yard run in the second quarter. He went down a few games later.
“It looked like he was just shoehorned in there, he was about to hang up the landline,” Shanahan said. “It was frustrating. He had a great week of practice. I could feel his urgency and stuff. I thought he came out looking good, looking really good.”
McCaffrey was on the shelf for most of the season. The reigning Offensive Player of the Year missed the first eight games of the season with Achilles tendinitis.
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey speaks to the media after an NFL football practice in Santa Clara, California, Tuesday, June 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)
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In the four games he has played, he has 202 rushing yards and 15 scores on 146 carries. He is yet to score a goal this season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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