LANDOVER, Md. – Christian McCaffrey made it sound like his playoff availability won’t be threatened by a right calf strain, an injury that sidelined him late in the third quarter of the 49ers’ 27-10 win Sunday over the host Washington Commanders.
“Not sure what happened. It was pretty minor,” McCaffrey said. “I was just having a hard time for a little bit just pushing off, and for precautionary reasons, they said, ‘You’d be better to just rest it.’ ”
McCaffrey surely will sit out Sunday’s 1:25 p.m. regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Rams and then use the wild-card bye to recover.
“He was moving around alright on the sideline, so we’re hoping it’s not too bad, but we won’t know until (Monday),” coach Kyle Shanahan said of a likely MRI exam for McCaffrey.
Not only have the 49ers (12-4) clinched the No. 1-seed in the NFC playoffs, but McCaffrey’s 1,459 rushing yards should guarantee him the 49ers’ first NFL rushing title since Joe “The Jet” Perry in 1954. McCaffrey has a 315-yard lead over the Rams’ Kyren Williams.
McCaffrey also has over 2,000 yards from scrimmage (564 receiving) for the second time in his career. In 2019 with Carolina, he totaled 2,392 yards (369 more than this year), and that included over 1,000 both rushing and receiving. McCaffrey joined Eric Dickerson and Marshall Faulk as the only players to amass over 2,000-yard seasons with two different teams.
Sunday, McCaffrey came out in the third quarter, after first using a therapeutic massage gun on his left leg, then exiting that same drive with a right calf issue. He initially sought to return, but running backs coach Bobby Turner kept him on the sideline as Elijah Mitchell scored on a 2-yard run for a 20-10 lead.
“We just made the smart move,” said McCaffrey, who totaled 64 rushing yards (14 carries) and 27 receiving yards (four catches). “Especially not knowing what would happen next week, I didn’t want to go in there and make it any worse.
“With certain things, you can’t be dumb about it,” he said.
When McCaffrey and the 49ers entered their locker room, they were surprised yet thrilled to watch the Arizona Cardinals upset the Philadelphia Eagles, whose loss thus took them out of contention for the No. 1 seed.
“That means the world, so shout out to the Cardinals, man, appreciate you guys. That was huge,” McCaffrey said. “We all need (rest). I know I need it. So I’m excited to just take a breath and get everything back to normal.”
The 49ers are the first team in NFL history with a quartet of 1,000-yard producers in the form of a running back (McCaffrey), two wide receivers (Brandon Aiyuk; 1,317 yards) Deebo Samuel; 1,085 yards) and a tight end (George Kittle; 1,022 yards).
After traveling to play five games in the Eastern time zone this season, McCaffrey is relieved to avoid any more long flights, adding: “It’s not nothing. It’s definitely not nothing.”
Mitchell filled in admirably, rushing for 80 yards and his first touchdown since last season’s playoff opener.
“That’s exactly what I expect from Elijah,” fullback Kyle Juszczyk said. “I had two solid years with my guy being the lead back. In my opinion, he’s one of the best backs in the league. It just so happens he has an MVP in front of him.”
Mitchell has missed 24 games in the past three years, including the past three games because of a knee issue.
The 49ers racked up 39 carries for 184 yards, with Deebo Samuel adding 35 on three carries, and Jordan Mason three yards on two carries.
“I love our team. I love this team so much,” McCaffrey said. “We have so many guys with the right attitude. It’s such a fun team to be on.”