The San Francisco 49ers lost their first game of the NFL season on Sunday, falling 29-20 to the Atlanta Falcons to drop to 6-1.
Fortunately for the 49ers, they got through the game without any major injuries, though it briefly looked concerning when star running back Christian McCaffrey headed to the locker room in the second quarter with a leg injury.
Luckily, McCaffrey moved under his own power and returned for the entire second half, continuing to serve as a centerpiece of the offense.
McCaffrey Makes Honest Statement After Loss
Speaking to the media after the game, McCaffrey credited the Falcons for their performance but acknowledged that the 49ers also hurt themselves. San Francisco committed four turnovers in the loss.
“Yeah, I mean, I think anytime you lose, you look at the tape and correct the mistakes. It’s the same when you win, same when you lose,” McCaffrey said postgame, via Matt Lively. “We’ve got a mature football team. They beat us today, but there were a lot of situations where we really beat ourselves. So it’s just correcting those things, getting everybody back healthy, getting a little bit of rest, and coming back to go on a run.”
Christian McCaffrey said the Falcons won but the #49ers also beat themselves up in a lot of ways in that game. https://t.co/cUk3eugjis
— Matt Lively (@mattblively) October 25, 2026
McCaffrey Said His Leg ‘Just Died’ on Him
Losing McCaffrey for part of the game hurt the 49ers, who were already extremely depleted on offense. McCaffrey said his leg “just died” on him during the game, just as he felt he was finding his rhythm.
“Man, I have no idea. It sucks cause I feel like I was going on a run there and my leg just died on me,” McCaffrey said. “And was just trying to get it going for the whole rest of the game. But just sucks trying to play like that. I know I’ll be alright but just really frustrating.”
McCaffrey finished the game with seven carries for 39 yards and six receptions for 61 yards.
49ers’ Christian McCaffrey Makes Honest Statement After Loss to Falcons