Injuries curtailed the San Francisco 49ers‘ opportunity to avenge their 25-22 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime of Super Bowl LVIII. The offense had its top three running backs and top four wide receivers mising games due to injuries.
Running back Christian McCaffrey battled bilateral achilles tendinitis, causing him to miss the first eight games of the season. He sprained his PCL against the Buffalo Bills, ending his season early. McCaffrey is expected to return for the 49ers in their Week 1 contest against the Seattle Seahawks.
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk suffered a torn ACL and MCL against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7. He was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.
San Francisco 49ers could be without Brandon Aiyuk for 4 games
Per Matt Bowen of The Athletic, Aiyuk’s status for Week 1 remains the main health question for the 49ers at this point in the offseason. While San Francisco believes Aiyuk is ahead of schedule, there is a possibility the 49ers will place him on the PUP list after training camp, meaning he will miss the first four games of the regular season.
“The biggest name is Brandon Aiyuk, who’s coming back from an Oct. 20 ACL tear,” Bowen wrote. “The wide receiver is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation and Kyle Shanahan has said there’s ‘a chance’ Aiyuk will be ready for the start of the season.
“Another scenario has Aiyuk beginning the season on PUP and missing the first four games. If that’s the case, the 49ers would lean on Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall and perhaps second-year player Jacob Cowing.”
Aiyuk agreed to a four-year, $120 million extension in 2024.
Aiyuk struggled to live up to lofty expectations with the 49ers before he suffered the knee injury, recording only 25 receptions for 374 yards. He caught no touchdowns before going on IR.
The 49ers would prefer Aiyuk to be healthy and able to make his expensive contract worth it.
Sep 9, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) is introduced to the crowd before the game against the New York Jets at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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