49ers running back Christian McCaffrey left Sunday’s game against the Falcons in the first half and went to the locker room with a thigh injury, and he has been listed as questionable to return. The injury could be a deep thigh contusion, though the 49ers have not announced a diagnosis. San Francisco led 14-9 in the second quarter when McCaffrey exited, and the team was without Deebo Samuel and Mike Evans at wide receiver, leaving the offense short on playmakers.
A deep thigh contusion is a bruise that reaches the muscle, usually from a direct blow, and the severity can vary widely. Mild cases mean a few days of soreness and the player may be able to finish the game once the pain settles, while more serious ones involve significant swelling and bleeding in the muscle that can linger for a week or two and limit a runner’s ability to cut and accelerate. The 49ers have a bye next week, with their next game on November 8 against the Raiders, which would give McCaffrey extra time to recover if the injury turns out to be on the more severe side.
Christian McCaffrey Injury History
The concern with McCaffrey is that any leg problem draws attention given his history. He suffered a right high ankle sprain in Week 2 of 2020 that cost him six games, a Grade 2 hamstring strain in Week 3 of 2021 that cost him five, and a left ankle sprain in Week 12 of 2021 that cost him five more. A calf strain in Week 17 of 2023 kept him out for a game. In 2024, he missed the first eight games with bilateral Achilles tendinitis, an issue that led him to travel to Germany for treatment, and after returning he suffered a right PCL sprain in Week 13 against the Bills that ended his season. A calf issue showed up on the injury report again before Week 1 of 2025, though he was cleared to play.
Today’s injury involves the thigh and appears to be a different type of problem than the soft-tissue and ligament issues that defined his past, which is a point in his favor. How he looks testing the leg on the sideline, the 49ers’ halftime update, and whether he is listed on the practice report after the bye will be the key signals.
