Even after Christian McCaffrey’s return to the field, the story surrounding his Achilles injury and the impact it’s having on the field isn’t lining up, whether it’s the story from him or the San Francisco 49ers.
McCaffrey hasn’t returned to his MVP-caliber level in his three games for the 49ers this season. Now, head coach Kyle Shanahan is pushing back at those criticizing McCaffrey and trying to reset the expectations for the reigning offensive player of the year.
“The speculation on Christian, I think, is a little bit unfair to him,” Shanahan said Wednesday. “Christian’s playing very well, he’s 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.”
“… I think Christian’s doing a hell of a job. But to just think him coming back in Week 8 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.”
First, Shanahan’s offhand remark on McCaffrey’s injury doesn’t really add up with what the 49ers have said publicly amid this weird injury saga. McCaffrey was practicing like normal at the start of training camp before a calf injury popped up; he then returned to practice prior to Week 1 before he apparently aggravated it, prompting the trip to injured reserve and a flight to Germany to seek treatment.
But if McCaffrey did actually miss the entire offseason, as Shanahan hinted at twice, it would undoubtedly change how people have viewed McCaffrey’s pedestrian return to action. In three games, McCaffrey is averaging just 3.5 yards per attempt on 43 carries, and his longest rush is just 13 yards.
And truly, the 49ers have no one to blame but themselves for the higher expectations. When McCaffrey was ramping back into playing shape, Shanahan answered questions about McCaffrey looking like his old self affirmatively. Several NFL insiders also said as such the morning of his first game back in Tampa.
“My understanding is McCaffrey, at the very least, is telling people, ‘I feel like I’m a full go. I feel like I’m going to get my usual workload,’” NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo said on Nov. 10.
Since then, Shanahan has also barely pulled McCaffrey off the field the past three games — McCaffrey’s snap count so far this year (88%) is actually higher than it was last year (81%). McCaffrey told reporters on Wednesday he doesn’t control his snap count but added, “If I feel like I can’t be my best out there, I’ll come off the field.”
All of that would line up with a team that was expecting a fully healthy and back-to-form McCaffrey. Now, after three weeks of struggles, that story seems to be changing quickly for the 49ers.