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The San Francisco 49ers might have to play the whole 2024 season without one of their best players. Christian McCaffrey, a star running back, won’t be playing because he has a problem with his Achilles tendon in both legs. This means he can’t run or play like he usually does.
McCaffrey’s absence is a big deal for the team. He’s gone to Germany for treatment, and while Jordan Mason is doing his best to fill in, McCaffrey’s talent is hard to replace.
Without McCaffrey, the 49ers’ offense isn’t performing as well as it used to. Brock Purdy, the quarterback, is seeing fewer yards after catch from his passes. To put this into perspective, since 2000, no quarterback has completed a full season with less than 29.8% of passing yards coming after the catch. And right now? Purdy’s sitting at just 25%.
San Francisco’s offense is known for creating lots of yards after the catch thanks to head coach Kyle Shanahan’s West Coast system. It’s been successful over the years, and McCaffrey played a huge part in that success.
In 2023, McCaffrey had 461 yards after catch. Deebo Samuel was even better with 527 yards, ranking ninth among all wide receivers. Brandon Aiyuk also shone brightly last year with an impressive 382 yards after catch.
However, Aiyuk hasn’t been able to contribute much this season. After some offseason drama, he’s only managed 29 yards after the catch over four games—17th fewest among all wide receivers.
Deebo Samuel missed Week 3 due to a calf injury but still added an extra 67 yards after catch so far this season.
Brandon Aiyuk claims he knows reason for slow start to season
