On Sunday morning, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is expected to miss at least six weeks, possibly more, after being placed on injured reserve this weekend. McCaffrey missed most of training camp and the entire preseason due to a calf strain and Achilles tendinitis, the latter of which caused him to sit out the 49ers' first two games of the season.
RELATED Report: Christian McCaffrey may need at least 6 weeks to recover
With McCaffrey on injured reserve, he's ineligible to play in the next three games—four total, including Sunday's matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. The earliest he could return is Week 6, when the 49ers face the Seattle Seahawks on October 10.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed McCaffrey's status following the team's 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. When asked about the running back's recovery timeline, Shanahan emphasized that there isn't one.
"Nobody knows," Shanahan said. "We're dealing with tendinitis, so there's not one person [who] knows. He doesn't know. We don't know. We can take it day by day. By putting him on IR, it's at least four weeks, so that'll give him some time to rest and kind of protect him from himself. Us too. No matter how he's feeling, it's four at the minimum."
Shanahan also clarified two important points: McCaffrey has not suffered a setback in his recovery, and, to his knowledge, there have been no discussions regarding the need for surgery.
The 49ers now sit at 1-1 and will begin preparing for their first NFC West matchup, a game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, September 22.