San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey was added to the team’s injury report Saturday due to a back injury.
McCaffrey was listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the visiting Tennessee Titans. Despite the status designation, ESPN reported that McCaffrey is expected to play in the game.
McCaffrey missed Wednesday’s practice due to illness and was limited on Thursday before being a full practice participant on Friday.
San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said McCaffrey looked good during the Friday session. That appears to mean McCaffrey’s back flared up Friday night or Saturday.
Brian Robinson will be the 49ers starting back against the Titans if McCaffrey can’t go. Robinson has rushed for 328 yards and two touchdowns this season.
McCaffrey and Robinson are the only San Francisco halfbacks to carry the ball in a game this season.
The contest is big for the 49ers (9-4) as they stand in third place in the highly competitive NFC West. The Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks both have 10-3 records.
McCaffrey, 29, has rushed for 849 yards and eight touchdowns and caught 85 passes for 806 yards and five scores in 13 games this season. The three-time Pro Bowl selection is on pace to register 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season for the second time in his nine-year career.
The only other players to notch that double-double in a season are former San Francisco great Roger Craig (1985) and Marshall Faulk (1999, St. Louis Rams). McCaffrey joined the exclusive club in 2019 when he had 1,387 yards and 1,005 receiving yards for the Carolina Panthers.
McCaffrey was traded from the Panthers to the 49ers during the 2022 season. He had a career-high 1,459 rushing yards in 2023 when he led the NFL in rushing.
–Field Level Media
