Christian McCaffrey’s day took a sharp turn in the second quarter against the Atlanta Falcons, with the 49ers star dealing with a thigh injury and listed as questionable to return.
McCaffrey went into the blue medical tent early in the second quarter and did not play on San Francisco’s third offensive drive. Fox later showed a replay from the 49ers’ opening series, when McCaffrey came up awkwardly after a tackle. He still finished that drive with a touchdown, but he also spent time with the medical staff after the second drive.
There was at least one sideline moment that stood out too: regardless of his injury status, Kyle Shanahan came down to the field while McCaffrey was being stretched and showed him something on a tablet.
Even without McCaffrey, the 49ers kept moving. Rookie Kaelon Black stepped in and broke free for a 30-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter.
Then came the latest update at 11:05 a.m.: McCaffrey returned to the 49ers locker room as San Francisco’s offense marched down the field on its fourth drive. Fox cameras showed him coming out of the blue medical tent earlier in that series, but he never came back out to the field. As the offense neared midfield, he headed back to the locker room.
By that point, McCaffrey had already stacked up four carries for 29 yards and a touchdown, plus three catches for 45 yards. The 49ers were up 14-9 midway through the second quarter, though Black coughed up the ball at the end of that fourth drive and the Falcons recovered.
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