The San Francisco 49ers are one of the last teams to start their 2024 NFL season. They will host the New York Jets on Monday Night Football.
However, in a stunning turn of events, they will have to do so without one of their best offensive weapons. Read below to find out who has been ruled out and what happened.
Christian McCaffrey Ruled OUT for Week 1
According to Mike Garafalo and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey has been ruled out for the team’s Week 1 game against the New York Jets. Last week, McCaffrey was limited in practice due to issues with his calf and Achilles. Now, it appears he has not recovered from those issues in time for tonight’s game and will sit on the sidelines.
What the San Francisco 49ers are Missing
So, what do the 49ers lose by having McCaffrey ruled out? For starters, they are losing arguably the best running back in the NFL and an NFL MVP candidate from last season. His 2023 season was one of the best he has in his NFL career.
In 2023, McCaffrey had an impressive 1,459 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. On top of this, he had 464 receiving yards and four touchdown receptions.
San Francisco 49ers Moving Forward
For now, McCaffrey’s absence seems to have had little impact on the point spread for tonight’s game. The 49ers have been 3.5-point favorites for most of the week. At the time of writing, this has not changed despite the stunning announcement regarding McCaffrey.
As a result of this injury, the 49ers may be relieved they were able to work something out with WR Brandon Aiyuk. Rumors surfaced that San Francisco was ready to trade him to the Pittsburgh Steelers if they could not come to an agreement. Now, they may have to lean on Aiyuk tonight along with the team’s other wide receivers.
Get More NFL Content
For more news and trends around the NFL, click here or follow me on Twitter @JohnGalletley.
