McCaffrey’s Availability for 49ers Season Opener in Doubt
The status of Christian McCaffrey is once again uncertain for the San Francisco 49ers just days ahead of their season opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
Despite the questions about his availability, McCaffrey doesn’t appear particularly anxious about this weekend’s game. “I’m always going to play,” he shared with reporters. “I feel good about where I am. Unfortunately, with my injury history, sometimes when I miss practice, it gets blown out of proportion. But like I said, I feel good.”
McCaffrey was marked as questionable on the 49ers’ injury report due to calf issues. He had participated limitedly in Thursday’s practice but didn’t take part on Friday, which has fans recalling last year’s frustrating injury saga.
He’s had a similar situation before, entering the first week of last season as questionable and ultimately landing on injured reserve due to bilateral Achilles tendonitis, appearing in just four games for the season.
This time around, there’s definitely some skepticism bubbling among the 49ers’ fan base as calf issues reappear in the injury report.
Coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t provide much detail about McCaffrey’s condition during media sessions, confirming only that McCaffrey missed Friday’s practice. Meanwhile, McCaffrey opened up a bit about what he is dealing with. “I’m not really supposed to go into what happened, but I felt I had to do something to keep practice from ending,” he said. “I’ve been my own worst enemy in situations like this, but I made it through all of training camp without injuries.”
Indeed, during training camp, he was injury-free, earning praise from Shanahan and others. The coaching staff opted for caution, deciding he wouldn’t play in the preseason game, which made sense given the circumstances.
However, as the season kicks off on Sunday, the 49ers’ playoff ambitions are closely tied to McCaffrey’s performance, similar to when the team reached the Super Bowl two seasons ago.
“At the end of the day, if you can play, you play in the game,” he expressed with practicality. “It’s just as easy.”
