This weekend marks the San Francisco 49ers’ first playoff game of the year. They secured the top seed during the regular season, which earned them a first-round bye.
But in Week 17, Christian McCaffrey, the star running back for the 49ers, suffered a calf injury that kept him out of the game for the majority of that one as well as the whole Week 18 contest.
There haven’t been many updates regarding McCaffrey’s status for Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers. However, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan disclosed on Tuesday that McCaffrey participated fully in practice, which is encouraging for his chances of playing this weekend, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
McCaffrey, whose running and pass-catching prowess helped the 49ers to a 12-5 record this season, is the focal point of the team’s offense.
The 49ers will undoubtedly rely on him as they attempt to win a Super Bowl this postseason because he has established himself as one of the league’s most crucial skill position players.
The fact that San Francisco felt comfortable sitting McCaffrey for the previous 1.5 games and was fortunate enough to have him rest during the first-round bye speaks volumes about how important a healthy McCaffrey is to the team’s success.
The 49ers will have multiple offensive threats in McCaffrey, tight end George Kittle, and wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel.
That will be a difficult task for the Packers’ defense to handle, particularly after they faced off against the Cowboys’ best offensive players just one week prior.