Christian McCaffrey’s oblique/rib injury is not considered serious, giving the San Francisco 49ers’ star running back a chance to play on “Monday Night Football” next week at the Minnesota Vikings, ESPN reported Tuesday.
McCaffrey joins wide receiver Deebo Samuel and left tackle Trent Williams as injured 49ers players who may be back sooner than expected.
NBC Sports Bay Area reported that McCaffrey’s injury has to do with pain tolerance more than anything else, leaving open the possibility that he, Samuel and Williams don’t miss any time for San Francisco (5-1).
McCaffrey, Samuel (shoulder) and Williams (ankle) all came away with injuries in Sunday’s 19-17 road loss to the Cleveland Browns — San Francisco’s first defeat of the season.
Williams’ ankle injury is not a high ankle sprain, coach Kyle Shanahan said. Samuel was hit on the shoulder while running a jet sweep on the Niners’ first play from scrimmage.
As of Monday, the 49ers had been waiting for more imaging to come back on McCaffrey before determining a course of action.
McCaffrey leads the NFL in rushing with 553 yards despite being held to 43 yards on 11 carries before exiting the Browns game. He also has nine touchdowns (seven rushing, two receiving) through six games.
–Field Level Media