Christian McCaffrey ruled out of 49ers’ game vs Bills

San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey was officially ruled out of the 49ers’ Sunday Night Football contest at the Buffalo Bills.

After exiting San Francisco’s Sunday Night Football contest at the Buffalo Bills during the first half with a knee injury, the 49ers confirmed that star running back Christian McCaffrey has been ruled out.

San Francisco defensive lineman Kevin Givens was also ruled out by the 49ers after he exited the first half with a chest injury.

McCaffrey appeared to hurt his knee on a toss play in the second quarter where he started running right and then fell down without being touched. It’s unclear if he was hurt on that play or the previous play, which was a 19-yard run where he was tripped up just as he reached the secondary.

The 49ers superstar RB looked to be back to form after a slow first couple of games back from Achilles tendinitis. He was spry and racked up 67 yards on nine touches, including 53 rushing yards on seven carries.

It’s unclear what the nature of the injury is, but McCaffrey was quickly escorted to the locker room. He was ruled out to start the second half. Jordan Mason has been his primary replacement. Rookie Isaac Guerendo has also gotten opportunities.

Givens’ exit will only make an already hard night more difficult for the 49ers’ defensive line. They’re shorthanded without Nick Bosa and Jordan Elliott. Bosa was ruled out pregame with hip and oblique injuries. Elliott is in the concussion protocol.

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What to make of Christian McCaffrey’s absence from 49ers practice

Christian McCaffrey wasn’t in practice Wednesday, but there’s no real cause for concern.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey sat out the team’s practice Wednesday in the lead up to a Week 12 showdown with the Green Bay Packers.

This is a slight departure from McCaffrey’s routine during his first two weeks back with the club after a nine-week absence due to Achilles tendinitis. During those first two weeks he was a limited participant in practice Wednesday and Thursday before getting a full practice in Friday.

Wednesday of Week 12 was a little different. The 49ers listed McCaffrey as a non-participant. His Achilles injury is still listed, but they also specified that his absence was for rest and was not injury related.

It makes sense that the team would rest McCaffrey given his workload in a Week 11 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He played 59 snaps and notched 19 carries along with four receptions. The 23 touches were four more than his 19 the week prior.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated the team plans to continue utilizing McCaffrey as much as possible in games, so an additional day off during the week would behoove a team trying to manage an Achilles issue for its superstar running back.

Chances are McCaffrey is back Thursday and ready to suit up Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

If he isn’t back Thursday, there may be a bigger issue. For now, his absence is simply a rest day.

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