49ers news: Why the Niners are protecting Christian McCaffrey from himself

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey told reporters on Wednesday in the locker room that he has the mindset that he’s playing this upcoming Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

McCaffrey went out of his way to say, “I’m not lying.” Once he added that caveat and explained why he was thinking in those terms, it seemed that the reigning Offensive Player of the Year knows he’s closer to doubtful than suiting up in Week 2.

Before the 49ers took the practice field and Kyle Shanahan spoke to the media, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Good Morning Football that McCaffrey is a long shot for Week 2: “It feels to me, just taking stock of the situation, talking to people involved, that Christian McCaffrey is a long shot to play this week against the Minnesota Vikings.”

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer was on The Rich Eisen Show talking about the severity of McCaffrey’s injury:

“If the NFC Championship game is Sunday, he’s playing. I think, to some degree, this is Kyle Shanahan and the Niners protecting Christian from himself. And knowing, we’ve got a long season ahead. Christian McCaffrey has a lot of injury history. He’s got a lot of miles on his legs. As well-conditioned as he is and as meticulous as he is about getting himself ready, we’re going to need him in January a hell of a lot more than we need him in September.

They’ve got the flexibility because they’ve got such a good team. Seeing what they were able to do in the running game against the Jets only gives them more ability to be flexible in bringing him back. I think, as much as anything else, this is Kyle Shanahan knowing a calf can linger, an Achilles can linger, and a circumstance can arise from pushing somebody back out there before he’s fully ready. So, as much as they want to see him out there, seeing what they saw from Jordan Mason in that game on Monday night gives them the flexibility to play it safe.

This is what we used to see the Patriots do back in the day. You almost treat September like an extended preseason when they were really rolling with Brady, where they could manage guys in certain ways. I think that’s what the Niners are doing here with McCaffrey. My guess is they’ll be cautious again, and we’ll see him in Week 3. That’s just my guess, but we’ll see.”

Week 3 is a big one on the schedule as the 49ers travel to SoFi Stadium to take on the Los Angeles Rams. Despite the Rams losing in Week 1, Sean McVay always put up a fight and had his team in a position to beat the Detroit Lions.

It’s a divisional game for the 49ers, so tiebreakers in the division are at stake. It would make sense to let McCaffrey suit up in Week 3, especially if he was close to playing Monday night.

If the 49ers are thinking about the Macro picture, it’s wise to copy the Patriots’ blueprint and slow roll players like McCaffrey, Talanoa Hufanga, and Dre Greenlaw. As Breer said, January is far more meaningful than September.