49ers’ Playoff Hopes Crushed as McCaffrey Suffers Injury

The nightmare season for the San Francisco 49ers got even worse Sunday night.

Playing in a virtual blizzard on the road versus the Buffalo Bills, the 49ers lost emphatically by a score of 35-10. The loss essentially puts San Francisco (5-7) out of playoff contention given the injuries throughout the squad.

Speaking of which, star RB Christian McCaffrey left the game with an apparent leg injury. A rather nasty replay showed McCaffrey’s calf muscle violently ripple when attempting to make a cut at the line of scrimmage.

Suffering the dreaded non-contact injury, he fell to the ground in a heap. He did not return to action.

After the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan said that McCaffrey injured his PCL. The team isn’t sure as to the extent of the injury — though Shanahan did say he believed it could be a season-ending issue.

It’s been a forgettable season for the All-Pro. McCaffrey had been plagued by Achilles tendonitis for much of the year. In only his fourth game back from injury, he’ll yet again be shelved.

The season has been horrific for the 49ers. The team cannot stay healthy, and there are real questions about whether the team could be headed for a rebuild where some of the more highly-priced veterans (George Kittle, Deebo Samuel) may see their days in the Bay Area end sooner than later.

When factoring in the impending free agency of QB Brock Purdy, there’s suddenly a plethora of questions that have to be answered for a team that has been a model franchise in this league for the last decade.