It’s hard to believe based on Monday night’s game vs. the Vikings that 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was even a little bit banged up.
McCaffrey suffered an oblique injury in San Francisco’s Week 6 loss to the Browns and was listed as questionable on the Week 7 injury report after only practicing one day during the week leading up to the game. The ailment didn’t impact his role at all in Minnesota.
The 49ers played 53 offensive snaps Monday night and McCaffrey was on the field for all 53 of them. He had 18 touches in the game, including 15 of the club’s 22 rushing attempts.
Running back Elijah Mitchell played just four snaps and took one carry. Jordan Mason’s work was limited to 11 special teams snaps.
Perhaps McCaffrey’s injury isn’t bad. He looked mostly normal despite struggling to find running room behind shoddy run blocking from San Francisco’s offensive line.
Perhaps the 49ers don’t believe their offense can function without the star running back so they’re going to roll him out regardless of his injury status.
That he played a full complement of snaps is a good sign for his status in Week 8 against the Bengals though, and then San Francisco gets a week off after that where McCaffrey will get additional time to rest his ailing oblique.
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