49ers’ Christian McCaffrey Suffers Non-Contact Lower Leg Injury on SNF

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey suffered an apparent non-contact lower leg injury on Sunday Night Football vs. the Buffalo Bills.

McCaffrey took a handoff on 1st and 10 and immediately slowed up. He slid down to the ground on his own before getting up and jogging to the sideline. Here’s a video of the play:

McCaffrey then left the medical tent and walked to the locker room. The 49ers have officially listed McCaffrey as questionable to return with a knee injury.

McCaffrey was off to a dominant start on Sunday night, rushing seven times for 53 yards to go along with two catches for 14 yards. This was the best McCaffrey has looked since returning from injury in Week 10, but now the injury issues appear to be back for McCaffrey and the 49ers.

Injuries have been the story of McCaffrey’s 2024 season. Following a 2023 season in which he won the Offensive Player of the Year award, McCaffrey suffered a calf strain during training camp that kept him out for the entire preseason.

McCaffrey was expected to be ready for the start of the regular season, however, shortly before the team’s Monday Night opener, McCaffrey was ruled out.

Then, ahead of Week 2, McCaffrey was placed on injured reserve due to Achilles tendinitis in both legs. McCaffrey was out for the next two months, and even traveled to Germany to see a specialist regarding the injury.

McCaffrey finally returned to the 49ers after the team’s Week 9 bye. While he’s gotten off to a slow start, head coach Kyle Shanahan defended his running back as he returns from major injuries.

“The speculation on Christian, I think, is a little bit unfair to him,” Shanahan said this week. “Christian’s playing very well, he is playing his ass off. But to think a guy who misses an entire offseason is just going to be the exact same the day he gets back would be unfair to any player in the world, I feel like.

“Guys who miss offseasons and miss training camp, usually it takes them a little bit of time at the beginning of the year to get back into how they were the year before, let alone missing half the season also on top of that. So I think Christian’s doing a hell of a job. But to just think him coming back in Week [10] with not being able to do anything for the last nine months or whatever it is, and to think he’s just going to be in MVP form is a very unrealistic expectation.”

McCaffrey finally looked like his “MVP form” through the first quarter of Sunday night’s game, but is now dealing with yet another injury in a season that’s been plagued by them, both for him and the 49ers.

Stay tuned on Newsweek Sports for the latest on McCaffrey.