The San Francisco 49ers will have to open their season against the New York Jets without star running back Christian McCaffrey.
They listed him among their inactives for the season opener while he deals with calf and Achilles injuries. However, Monday’s game may not be the only one he misses.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter on the Monday Night Football pregame show reported the decision to bench McCaffrey came down Monday when his calf was tight after getting to the team facility for treatment. He also said the RB may miss Week 2 in Minnesota as well.
“Not only is Christian McCaffrey out tonight,” Schefter said, “but there’s a real chance he’s not gonna play on Sunday either. They play on the road at Minnesota on turf on a shorter week. So, he’s inactive tonight and it looks like there’s a real strong possibility McCaffrey will not play Sunday against the Vikings as well.”
Schefter earlier Monday on the ‘Pat McAfee Show’ reported the injuries McCaffrey is dealing with cropped up in Week 17 last season. They also forced him to miss virtually all of training camp and the preseason.
The 49ers have a quick turnaround, playing Sunday in Minnesota with a 10:00am Pacific Time kickoff. With Minnesota’s field turf and the 49ers’ history of losing key players on that surface, they’d be wise to remain cautious with the focal point of their offense.
Jordan Mason will start in McCaffrey’s stead against the Jets, and he figures to continue having a heavy workload in Week 2 if McCaffrey is still sidelined.
