San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed Sunday night that the team fears running back Christian McCaffrey suffered a right posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury during the game against the Buffalo Bills. The injury could potentially end McCaffrey's season.
When asked if the injury might be season-ending, Shanahan responded, "I think potentially. I'm not exactly sure yet. I think PCL is usually a couple of weeks, but I'm not exactly sure yet."
With only five games remaining on the schedule and the 49ers' postseason hopes fading, even a multi-week recovery timeline could mark the end of McCaffrey's already abbreviated 2024 campaign.
McCaffrey exited the game in the second quarter after being evaluated in the medical tent and later headed to the locker room. Postgame, he was seen leaving on crutches with a brace on his right knee.
#49ers RB Christian McCaffrey is now going to the locker room.
This is what happened: pic.twitter.com/bBQLicdx3B https://t.co/4s7oEuttyQ
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 2, 2024
The 49ers await further test results, but Shanahan expressed concern during his postgame press conference.
"He had a great week of practice," Shanahan said. "I could feel his urgency and stuff, and I thought he came out great, looking real good. And it looked like he just got his shoestring there, he's about to break a house call. And I'm guessing he got hurt on that play. I don't know. I never got to talk to him."
Shanahan added, "But hurt for him. Tough for our team not having him."
Quarterback Brock Purdy also addressed the loss of McCaffrey, praising the running back's impact and expressing hope for a quick recovery.
"Obviously, we all saw what he was doing, and he was on fire," Purdy said. "He looked great hitting the holes hard, and bouncing off guys, and making some really explosive plays, and that's huge. And so, obviously, when you lose a guy like Christian, it sucks.
"Hopefully, we can get him back soon. But I thought [RB Jordan Mason] and [RB] Isaac [Guerendo] came in and did a good job, too. But yeah, it sucks. He's one of the best running backs in the league, and when you lose him like that, I think it takes away just sort of how we do some things within the offense. But it sucks."
Sunday marked McCaffrey's fourth game this season. He missed the first eight games due to Achilles tendinitis.