The San Francisco 49ers are perfect no more, falling to the Atlanta Falcons, who were 2-4 going into the contest. While the Niners lost, they can breathe a sigh of relief that they don't seem to have lost their star running back, who went down for a short time with a thigh injury.
Christian McCaffrey appeared to aggravate his leg in the first quarter, then went to the medical tent and eventually to the locker room in the second quarter. He was initially listed as questionable, but he returned to start the third quarter. Losing McCaffrey for any amount of time significantly impacts the offense, considering he is consistently the team's leading rusher.
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 on a run there, and my leg just died on me," CMC said. "I was trying to get it going for the whole rest of the game, but it just sucks trying to play like that."
He added some reassurance on his health, saying, "I know I'll be alright, but it's just really frustrating."
McCaffrey had a diminished workload when he returned to the field. Before going down with the injury, he had four carries for 29 yards and one touchdown. His first rushing attempt back from the locker room was a loss of two, and he finished the game with seven carries for 39 yards and one touchdown. He also finished with six receptions for 61 yards, clocking three receptions for 45 yards before the injury.
His 39 rushing yards are his second-fewest this season, while his 61 receiving yards are his best in 2026. For someone whose job uses their legs the most, having their legs feel like they "died" doesn't seem positive, but the RB didn't seem concerned about the long term.
The 30-year-old has a long history of injuries, and any sign of him not looking 100 percent will give his fanbase 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 will linger beyond Sunday will be known once the weekly injury reports come out.
In Week 7, the 49ers offense was without wide 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.
