San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey pulled up lame late in Sunday’s epic NFC Championship Game comeback against the Detroit Lions.
The NFL rushing champion suffered a right shoulder injury after Lions defensive back Kerby Joseph hit him to a conclude a big 25-yard run for CMC in the fourth quarter. McCaffrey ultimately took himself out of the game. He was replaced by running back Elijah Mitchell who would score a touchdown to give the 49ers’ a 10-point lead.
McCaffrey ended up missing San Francisco’s final six offensive plays. He talked about the injury after the game.
“My shoulder felt a little weird,” Christian McCaffrey said, via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. “And I didn’t want to not be able to grip the ball, especially at a crucial time like that. And Mitch is unbelievable. So, he goes in there and gets a touchdown. I was happy and proud of him and our whole team. We scored. That’s all I cared about.”
There doesn’t seem to be too much concern with less than two weeks before San Francisco takes on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII.
San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan did not mention McCaffrey in providing injury updates during a Q&A with the media on Monday. Tight end George Kittle (toe) and cornerback Ambry Thomas (ankle) were the only two players referenced by Shanahan. This obviously bodes well for McCaffrey’s status moving forward.
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McCaffrey’s importance to the 49ers is by now well known. The NFL MVP finalist led the league in rushing yards (1,459), total yards (2,023), touches (339) and touchdowns (21) during the regular season.