49ers make big decision about Christian McCaffrey

Oct 30, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) before playing against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco 49ers have officially made a big decision on running back Christian McCaffrey that was hinted at a day earlier.

The 49ers will place McCaffrey on injured reserve due to his lingering lower leg issues, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The running back will miss at least the next four games as a result.

McCaffrey would be eligible to return to action on Oct. 10, when the Niners have a Thursday night game. The team probably will not know if he will be able to until closer to that point.

McCaffrey was a surprise absence for Week 1 against the New York Jets, but the initial hope seemed to be that he would miss the one game and have a chance at returning for Week 2. Coach Kyle Shanahan even said McCaffrey probably would have played had it been a playoff game. However, the reports got worse as the week went on, and Shanahan was openly admitting that an IR trip was possible by Friday.

The good news is the Niners are facing relatively winnable games without McCaffrey, and backup Jordan Mason looked more than capable of filling his shoes on Monday. Still, the loss of the reigning AP Offensive Player of the Year is a blow for a team with Super Bowl aspirations, and the team has to be hoping this is not the sort of thing that will linger beyond October.

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