The San Francisco 49ers are no longer perfect, falling to the Atlanta Falcons, who were 2-4 going into the game. Even though the Niners lost, they can breathe a sigh of relief because they don’t appear to have lost their star running back, who was briefly injured in his thigh.
Christian McCaffrey appeared to have a worsening of his leg in the first quarter, then went to the medical tent and finally to the locker room in the second quarter. He was initially listed as questionable, but returned to start the third quarter. Losing McCaffrey for any length of time has a significant impact on the offense, considering he is still the team’s best runner.
After the game, the four-time Pro Bowler gave an update and explained what happened with his leg.
“I have no idea. It sucks, because I feel like I was going to run there, and my leg died,” CMC said. “I was trying to keep going the rest of the game, but it sucks trying to play like that.”
He added some assurances about his health, saying: “I know everything will be fine, but it’s just really frustrating.”
McCaffrey had a reduced workload when he returned to the field. Before getting injured, he had four carries for 29 yards and a touchdown. His first attempt after the locker room ended up down two, and he finished the game with seven carries for 39 yards and a touchdown. He also finished with six receptions for 61 yards, hauling in three receptions for 45 yards before the injury.
His 39 rushing yards are his second-fewest total this season, while his 61 receiving yards are his best in 2026. For someone whose job uses his legs the most, feeling like his legs are “dead” doesn’t seem positive, but the RB didn’t seem concerned about the long term.
The 30-year-old has a long injury history, and any signs of him not looking 100 percent will give his fans flashbacks, and not the good kind. The Niners have suffered numerous significant injuries this season and cannot afford to lose any more star players.
The 49ers have a bye coming up, which could work in McCaffrey’s favor. Whether this injury persists beyond Sunday will be known once the weekly injury reports are released.
In Week 7, the 49ers offense was without receivers Mike Evans (ribs/Achilles), Deebo Samuel (hamstring), Demarcus Robinson (IR), De’Zhaun Stribling (IR), and Ricky Pearsall (IR). The running back room includes rookie Kaelon Black and second-year RB Jordan James. McCaffrey leads the team in carries and rushing yards this season, with Black behind him and their QB third on the list.
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