The San Francisco 49ers will once again be without their top weapons on Sunday.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that running back Christian McCaffrey has been ruled out against the Minnesota Vikings due to his calf injury and Achilles tendonitis.
McCaffrey has been dealing with the injuries since training camp and missed the 49ers’ Week 1 win over the New York Jets on Monday. He did practise in limited fashion on both Wednesday and Thursday this week, but was held out of practice on Friday.
Shanahan also told reporters that the team is considering placing the star RB on injured reserve which would sideline him for at least the next four games.
Back-up running back Jordan Mason will be expected to carry the load once again in McCaffrey’s place as he did in Week 1 when he ran for 147 yards and a touchdown against the Jets.
Even with Mason’s performance, McCaffrey is still a huge loss for the 49ers who many have as a favourite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl for a second-straight year.
McCaffrey led the NFL last season with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and was tied for the league lead with 21 touchdowns, winning AP Offensive Player of the Year.
