San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was ruled out minutes before the first "Monday Night Football" game of the 2024 season.
Tonight's matchup between the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers is the first Monday Night Football of the 2024 season. The game will also officially wrap up the Week 1 slate of games. But minutes before kickoff, the Niners announced one of their offensive stars would be inactive.
Running back Christian McCaffrey was ruled inactive due to a calf injury. Jordan Mason got the start. But that's not all. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter later took to the air and reported that McCaffrey could also be ruled inactive in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings.
The 2023 Offensive Player of the Year battled a nagging calf injury during training camp, and it appears the injury's persisting. What was thought to be a minor injury has now led to McCaffrey not only missing preseason games but now valuable games as the season unfolds. More recently, McCaffrey suffered from an Achilles injury on top of the recovering calf. This limited his participation in practice heading into game week.
After practice on Sept. 6, McCaffrey shared that his injury was "not a concern."
On Sept. 7, Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan shared McCaffrey was "questionable" heading into the Jets game. When asked if McCaffrey was a game-time decision, Shanahan simply said, "Just questionable."
This calf injury is a recurring one for the All-Pro running back. Fans will recall it the injury nearly sidelined him for Super Bowl LVII against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Last season, McCaffrey rushed for 1,459 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, with 564 receiving yards and seven receiving TDs. It's hard to envision McCaffrey replicating last year's impact with this slow start.
