The 49ers managed to get through the NFC championship game with a win, and without sustaining any major injuries.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan in his postgame press conference said linebacker Dre Greenlaw had a stinger and cornerback Ambry Thomas had an ankle issue. He also relayed that wide receiver Jauan Jennings cleared concussion protocol.
Both Greenlaw and Jennings returned to the game after briefly exiting. It’s unclear how severe Thomas’ ankle issue is.
An injury Shanahan didn’t mention atop his press conference was running back Christian McCaffrey, who landed awkwardly on a carry late in the fourth quarter and didn’t return to the game. Shanahan said McCaffrey told him it was just a stinger.
“Yeah, he said he got a little bit of a stinger when he went down there,” Shanahan said. “That’s what his words were. He had to come out for a play. I know Elijah went in there and scored. At the end I knew Christian was good to go back.”
McCaffrey told reporters he was worried his stinger might impact his ability to hold onto the ball, which is why he didn’t take part in the team’s clock-killing drive to end the game.
There doesn’t seem to be much concern that the issue will affect McCaffrey in the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl.
