San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey has already experienced a shortened season. It could be even shorter than he hoped after sustaining a potentially serious injury on Sunday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills.
McCaffrey took a handoff early in the second quarter in the cold and wintry conditions when he appeared to suffer some kind of injury in his leg. He slid on the snowy surface at Highmark Stadium and was later piled on by multiple Bills players.
McCaffrey was able to walk off the field under his own power and then went with medical staff into the blue tent, then to the locker room. He did not return to the game.
After the contest ended, Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters, ‘They’re saying it’s a PCL [injury]’. 49ers beat reporter Cam Inman said this ‘could be [a] season-ending injury.’
Shanahan also told reporters that the running back will undergo an MRI on Monday on his injured knee.
There was some confusion on social media over which knee McCaffrey injured. That was cleared up when Buffalo sports radio host Sal Capaccio said after the game that he saw McCaffrey, ‘walk by us very slowly, using crutches, with a large brace on his right knee.’
Niners running back Christian McCaffrey left the game with a knee injury in Buffalo on Sunday
Fans initially believed that McCaffrey may have injured his knee on the slide – as NBC cameras appeared to catch his left leg buckling slightly before he hit the ground.
But later in the evening, video emerged of the play before the slide where McCaffrey was brought down on a shoestring tackle.
Former NFL team doctor David J. Chao posted a video of the incident to social media offering his opinion that McCaffrey hurt his knee on the tackle, which ended with his right knee slamming into the turf.
While it’s not seen in the tweeted video, it was shown on the NBC broadcast that McCaffrey got up and appeared to let out a scream.
‘The previous #CMC play is likely where knee injury happens,’ Chao tweeted. ‘Worry for right knee PCL sprain on shoestring tackle. The next run, he doesn’t feel right and goes down.’
In the preseason, McCaffrey suffered a calf and Achilles injury that kept him out throughout the start of the campaign.
He had been placed on injured reserve after Week 2 and visited a specialist in Germany as he dealt with bilateral Achilles tendonitis.
McCaffrey was out until November 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10.
He only played in three games since returning to the team – racking up 149 yards coming into this week’s contest.
McCaffrey likely injured his right knee on this shoestring tackle, ending with him slamming his injured knee into the turf. He was later seen screaming out in pain by NBC cameras.
Prior to this season, McCaffrey missed extensive time in two previous seasons with the Carolina Panthers.
In 2020, he played in only three games as he dealt with a high ankle sprain, then a shoulder injury that ultimately ended his season.
He played in seven games in 2021 as he suffered both a hamstring injury and an ankle injury.
When healthy, McCaffrey has been one of the most reliable and important players on the 49ers team that he was traded to back in 2022.
Last season, he led the league in rushing yards with a career high mark of 1,459. He also rushed for 14 touchdowns and caught for seven touchdowns.
