San Francisco 49ers fans have been eager to hear it and the time has finally come. Professional runner Christian McCaffrey will officially debut for the Tampa Bay Pirates on Sunday.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan joined KNBR on Thursday and made the announcement.
“He did a great job over the last two days [d’entraînement]. I hope everything goes well. I hope he plays,” Shanahan said.
This is good news for 49ers fans, as McCaffrey’s absent season did not go as planned. McCaffrey missed the first eight games of the regular season with tendinitis in both legs and his heel. It is unclear how many SNAPS McCaffrey will play. But the fact that he’s playing will definitely hurt Bucs head coach Todd Bowles’ heart.
Backup runner Jordan Mason performed well during his absence, but Mason suffered a shoulder injury in Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs. This prevented him from playing against the Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys the following week.
Injuries have always been a problem on the field for the 49ers.
Pro Bowl wide receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle have been hit hard throughout the year. Brandon Aiyuk then suffered a season-ending ACL injury. Jennings should take his place, but even Jennings has missed the last two games with a hip injury.
Jennings had a limited practice Thursday and appears to be expecting a return to the lineup.
Even the 49ers defense was destroyed. The two best players on defense, Javian Hargrave and Taranoa Hufanga, are on injury reserve. Despite all the ills San Francisco is facing, they are halfway to first place in the NFC West entering Week 10. The Arizona Cardinals are atop the standings with a 5 – 4 record.
Maillot San Francisco 49ers,The 49ers, however, were 1 – 2 in the Division and lost to the Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams. After the away game against the Pirates on Sunday, San Francisco will begin a key stage of its schedule.
They face the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bears, Chicago Bears and Rams. As intimidating as it may seem, having a healthy Christian McCaffrey actively involved should make life a lot easier.
