Christian McCaffrey injury update: 49ers RB to be placed on IR with PCL injury, timeline for return revealed

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey suffered a PCL injury on Sunday night and will miss at least the next six weeks. Head coach Kyle Shanahan announced the news on Monday, and McCaffrey will be placed on injured reserve.

The 49ers also announced that running back Jordan Mason is being placed on injured reserve due to a high ankle sprain. With the top two running backs out of the lineup, Isaac Guerendo is now on track to start for the 49ers.

McCaffrey suffered the injury in the second quarter of the Sunday Night Football game between the 49ers and Buffalo Bills. It was a non-contact injury, and McCaffrey limped to the blue injury tent before heading to the locker room for further examination. At the time of his injury, McCaffrey recorded 53 rushing yards on seven carries and two receptions for 14 yards.

This is the second major injury of the season for McCaffrey as he missed the first eight games of the year with an Achilles issue. Over the last four weeks, the former Stanford Cardinal star was slowly working back into form, and based on the way he played on Sunday night, it looked like he was going to have his best game of the year.

Brock Purdy reacts to Christian McCaffrey’s injury

“We all saw what he was doing, and he was on fire,” 49 quarterback Brock Purdy said after the game, per ESPN. “He looked great. Hitting the holes hard and bouncing off guys and making some real explosive plays, and that’s huge. … He’s one of the best running backs in the league and you lose him like that. I think it takes away just sort of how we do some things within the offense. It sucks.”

McCaffrey was looking to have a strong 2024 season after having a career year in 2023. In his first full season with the 49ers, the 28-year-old tallied 2,023 yards from scrimmage and 21 total touchdowns. He was named Offensive Player of the Year and finished third in NFL MVP voting.