Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Two seasons ago, Christian McCaffrey was on top of the NFL world. In a banner year for the all-purpose back, the San Francisco 49ers superstar amassed over 2,000 all-purpose yards while scoring 21 touchdowns. The then-MVP candidate was arguably the biggest reason the 49ers eventually earned a berth in Super Bowl 58.

It hasn't been so smooth lately for McCaffrey. Last year, a nagging calf injury forced McCaffrey to miss all but four games. This year, while he appears to be mostly over that health issue, McCaffrey hasn't nearly been as effective as a bell cow tailback in Kyle Shanahan's offensive scheme. At the time of this writing, through four games, McCaffrey is averaging only 3.3 yards per carry. He's still featuring well as a checkdown offensive weapon with 31 catches and 305 yards, but that impact is felt a lot less if he's not running the ball at a decent clip.

So, what's McCaffrey's issue?

For one, he might not be entirely healthy yet. McCaffrey was dealing with issues on the same calf that had plagued him in 2024 at the start of this season. To be sure, Kyle Shanahan never sounded all that concerned about his star player, but it stands to reason that McCaffrey's body might not feel at full capacity quite yet.

A delicate calf injury isn't always something that heals that quickly, you know?

There's also the matter of general wear and tear.

McCaffrey is 29 years old. This is his ninth NFL season. He has nearly 2,000 career touches between carries and receptions. Even if McCaffrey looks like he's particularly fit and strong for someone at his position, that is a LOT of mileage on a running back's body. While his production hasn't fallen off a cliff yet, it wouldn't be foolish to posit that a decline, even if slow, has started for McCaffrey. He's at the point in a star running back's extended career where something like that usually starts.

The 49ers' general offensive health probably doesn't help McCaffrey either. Brock Purdy has been dealing with a nagging toe injury all season. Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings have also been forced to sit out games. Who knows when Brandon Aiyuk will return? When an offense is missing this many difference-makers at once, it's easier for an opposing defense to focus its game plan on stopping one singularly dynamic talent like McCaffrey.

Other teams don't have to worry about anyone else biting them when they sell out to stop McCaffrey.

All this to say, there isn't an easy, catch-all solution to McCaffrey's relative struggles. It's a simple matter of better injury luck and hoping McCaffrey can find his groove as he really gets back into the swing of things.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: What's wrong with Christian McCaffrey?

Reporting by Robert Zeglinski, For The Win / For The Win

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