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San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey has been ruled out for his team's Week 2 road matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, head coach Kyle Shanahan announced on Friday (September 13).
McCaffrey, 28, was officially ruled out of the 49ers' Week 1 Monday Night Football game against the New York Jets shortly before kickoff. The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year was initially expected to play despite a calf injury that kept him out for most of training camp, however, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Good Morning Football Wednesday that McCaffrey is also dealing with Achilles tendonitis, which was the bigger concern heading into Week 2.
"It feels to me, just taking stock of the situation, talking to people involved, that Christian McCaffrey is a long shot to play this week against the Minnesota Vikings," Rapoport said. "Go back a couple of days to Monday night. I think we all thought, in fact, I think the 49ers all thought, that Christian McCaffrey was going to shake off a little tightness he felt late in the week of practice, be able to workout and be able to play Monday night against the Jets as he told reporters, as everyone had planned.
"He worked out pregame, it was just not quite right and we talked a lot during the course of the preseason about Christian McCaffrey's calf injury. It's more than that. It is also Achilles tendonitis, which can really be troublesome and as [49ers head coach] Kyle Shanahan noted, that's actually the injury that's giving Christian McCaffrey more trouble right now, it's the injury that is requiring more treatment than I would say the calf pull, so that is why Christian McCaffrey did not play on Monday night.
"It's a long season, he is as good as it gets. They want him healthy for this stretch run so it makes sense for the 49ers to pull back a little bit and ensure when he hits the field again he is fully healthy."
McCaffrey's replacement, former undrafted running back Jordan Mason, recorded 147 yards and one touchdown on 28 rushing attempts in his absence Monday night as the 49ers defeated the Jets, 32-19, in Week 1. McCaffrey signed to a two-year extension in June, making him the highest-paid player at his position and keeping him on the Niners' roster through the 2027 NFL season.
The veteran running back was acquired by the 49ers in a blockbuster trade with the Carolina Panthers midway through the 2022 NFL season and has since recorded 2,711 rushing yards, 1,241 receiving yards and 39 total touchdowns in 22 games. McCaffrey recorded an NFL-best 1,459 rushing yards on 272 carries, 67 receptions for 564 yards and 21 total touchdowns (14 rushing, seven receiving) during the 2023 season, which resulted in a Super Bowl LVIII overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in February.