An extremely disappointing season for Christian McCaffrey, which encapsulates the distressing tone of the San Francisco 49ers' 2024-25 campaign in totality, appears to be over. The All-Pro running back is being placed on the injured reserve as expected, per The Athletic's Matt Barrows, and will likely not return to the field unless the team is able to go on a truly magical run. Yikes
Making matters worse, McCaffrey is not the only offensive talent to end up on the shelf following Sunday night's 35-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Jordan Mason is also going on the IR with a high-ankle sprain. Double yikes.
The one sliver of optimism to come out of this heap of stomach-churning news is that McCaffrey will not require surgery for his PCL injury. Though, because recovery for the issue is projected to be six weeks, the 49ers will be without their best skills position player for the remainder of the regular season. Mason excelled in the star's absence earlier in 2024 and has 789 rushing yards on the year (5.2 yards per carry).
Ergo, these IR moves portend trouble for the 49ers moving forward. It will now primarily be up to rookie Isaac Guerendo to pace San Francisco on the ground. True to the organization's sterling track record of finding hidden gems at the RB position, the fourth-round draft pick has shown ample promise already this season. He has exceeded 80 rushing yards in two different games, both of which resulted in Niners' wins, and is currently notching just under 6.0 yards per attempt.
Still, this team is desperate for offensive depth. The defense is battling its own injury woes, as lineman Kevin Givens (three and a half sacks) lands on the IR with a torn pectoral, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
49ers need to dig deep if they are going to figure things out

Brandon Aiyuk's season-ending ACL and MCL injuries dealt a crushing wallop to the passing attack, and now the unit could become even less dynamic. Christian McCaffrey gave fans hope that the much-anticipated 49ers' resurgence was on the horizon after he posted 67 total yards on nine touches in in the first half of Sunday's snow storm showdown. Instead, it might have been a cruel tease before more devastation rained down on the franchise.
San Francisco sits in last place in the NFC West with a 5-7 record, two games behind the division-leading Seattle Seahawks. The schedule provides a glimmer of hope and opportunities for advancement, but the 49ers will have to lean tremendously on their instincts, coaching and culture to claw their way into the playoffs. Because, as the latest news illustrates, their level of talent is dropping to frightening levels for an uncomfortably long period of time.