San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey went down with an apparent non-contact knee injury early in the second quarter of their matchup with the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night.
McCaffrey, after taking a pitch to the right, suddenly pulled up and then gave himself up in the backfield without taking any contact. It looked as if McCaffrey pulled something in his leg, as he was seen limping for a few steps before simply sliding down. He jogged off the field, and went into the blue medical tent on the sidelines a few moments later.
McCaffrey was seen walking to the locker room on his own power with a team trainer minutes later. The 49ers initially said he is questionable to return with a knee injury, and then they ruled him out to start the second half. He finished with 53 rushing yards on seven carries, and he had another 14 yards on two catches. Further specifics of his injury are not yet known.
McCaffrey missed San Francisco’s first eight games of the season due to Achilles tendinitis and calf tightness. He even flew to Germany to receive treatment from a specialist in September after landing on injured reserve. Sunday’s game was just his fourth of the season. He entered the night with 149 rushing yards, and he’s yet to score a touchdown this season.
McCaffrey’s injury is the latest that the 49ers are dealing with in recent weeks. They were without quarterback Brock Purdy last week in their loss to the Green Bay Packers due to a shoulder injury, though Purdy started on Sunday night. Both Nick Bosa and Trent Williams were out on Sunday night with injuries, too. Tight end George Kittle returned for a second straight game, however, after missing time with a hamstring injury earlier this month.
San Francisco entered Sunday’s game with a 5-6 record after dropping back-to-back games, which has them in last in the NFC West standings. The Bills took a 21-3 lead into halftime.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.
