Right about the same time that rookie running back Kaelon Black was sprinting toward the end zone for a San Francisco 49ers touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons, Christian McCaffrey was heading to the medical tent with an injury.
It was an odd juxtaposition, one that hadn’t stopped the 49ers from jumping out to a huge early lead on Atlanta but also one that could impact San Francisco’s chances going forward in this Week 7 game.
The 49ers are already without wide receivers Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel, so they had already been using a lot of Black in addition to McCaffrey in the early going.
Both actually had first-half rushing touchdowns before CMC left the game.
Still, the 49ers would prefer not to lose McCaffrey, too.
What Happened to Christian McCaffrey?
McCaffrey headed to the medical tent while playing in the first half in Atlanta against the Falcons.
It wasn’t immediately clear what had happened, but the 49ers eventually announced his status.
The 49ers shared that McCaffrey is questionable to return.
They announced it as a thigh injury.
A replay was eventually shown which had McCaffrey taking a hard hit low in his thigh area, which would explain the injury.
He’s been shown sprinting on the sideline to see how his leg responds.
Update: After running around on the sideline, McCaffrey then jogged to the locker room.
Why Kaelon Black Is Running So Much
The 49ers have been using the rookie Kaelon Black out of Indiana a lot more than some expected this season.
That was even more true on Sunday with all the WR injuries. The 49ers decided clearly that they were going to use their running backs to move the football in Week 7.
The Black usage dates all the way back to Week 1, though. It’s been obvious San Francisco doesn’t want to overwhelm CMC’s workload like they did last season.
A year ago, McCaffrey had a career-high 413 touches. At this point, both at his age and with his injury history, that’s too much for McCaffrey.
Black has already been a crucial player in the 49ers’ undefeated start to the season. Now, he might have to play even more.
Falcons Impact
If McCaffrey is forced to miss time and potentially the rest of the Week 7 game, it does help the Falcons in at least one way.
CMC is regarded as one of the best pass-catching RBs all time. That’s an element Black doesn’t bring to the game.
If McCaffrey is out, the 49ers will lose the looks they have in their offense that end with the ball being thrown to their superstar running back.
That gives the Falcons one less thing to worry about on the defensive side — although they’re already trailing and will have to dial in regardless.
What Happened to Christian McCaffrey? Why Injury Has Kaelon Black Running in Falcons-49ers