Christian McCaffrey of the 49ers appears to suffer a non-contact lower leg injury in SNF

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey suffered an apparent non-contact lower leg injury during Sunday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills.

McCaffrey took the handoff on 1st-and-10 and immediately slowed down. He slid to the ground on his own before getting up and jogging to the sideline. Here is a video of the piece:

McCaffrey then left the medical tent and went to the locker room. The 49ers have officially listed McCaffrey’s return as questionable due to a knee injury.

McCaffrey got off to a dominant start Sunday night, rushing seven times for 53 yards and catching twice for 14 yards. That was the best look McCaffrey has had since returning from injury in Week 10, but now the injury issues appear to be back for McCaffrey and the 49ers.

Injuries were the story of McCaffrey’s 2024 season. After a 2023 season in which he won Offensive Player of the Year honors, McCaffrey suffered a calf strain during training camp that sidelined him for the entire preseason.

McCaffrey was expected to be ready for the start of the regular season, but just before the team’s opening game on Monday night, McCaffrey was ruled out.

Then, before Week 2, McCaffrey was placed on injured reserve due to Achilles tendonitis in both legs. McCaffrey was out for the next two months and even traveled to Germany to see a specialist about the injury.

After the team’s bye in Week 9, McCaffrey ultimately returned to the 49ers. Despite getting off to a slow start, head coach Kyle Shanahan defended his running back as he returned from serious injuries.

“The speculation about Christian, I think, is a little unfair to him,” Shanahan said this week. “Christian plays very well, he plays his ass off. But to think that a guy who misses an entire offseason is just going to be the same the day he comes back, I think would be unfair to every player in the world.”

“Guys who miss the offseason and training camp usually need a little time at the beginning of the year to get back to last year’s level, not to mention missing half the season on top of that. So I.” I think Christian is doing a hell of a job, but just thinking about him coming back in week (10) even though he hasn’t been able to do anything for the last nine months and thinking that he’s just in MVP form will be a very unrealistic expectation.”

McCaffrey finally appeared to be back in “MVP form” in the first quarter of Sunday night’s game, but is now battling another injury in a season that has been plagued by both him and the 49ers.

Stay tuned Newsweek Sports for the latest on McCaffrey.