The San Francisco 49ers saw their season come to a disappointing end on Saturday, falling 41-6 in one of the biggest losses in postseason history for the franchise. It capped what had been a memorable season for the injury-riddled team that found a way to rack off a six-game win streak late in the year and battle for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Ultimately, after one playoff win, their season was cut short in disappointing fashion, sending the 49ers home with much to think about for 2026.
While there were quite a few major injuries for the 49ers, one player who was healthy for the entire year was star running back Christian McCaffrey, who earned First-Team All-Pro honors at the all-purpose position this year.
After playing in only four games in 2024, McCaffrey had quite the workload in 2024, rushing for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns on 311 carries, while catching 102 passes for 924 yards and seven more scores. The efficiency wasn’t really there on the ground for the 49ers this year, but McCaffrey easily had the most touches in the NFL, which has become a staple for him when healthy.
He had the second-most carries in the NFL during the regular season, behind only Jonathan Taylor, which is quite significant on its own. Then, you factor in the fact that he caught the sixth-most passes in the NFL this year, and that feat becomes even more impressive.
Speaking to reporters after the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan had nothing but praise for his star running back after another quality season.
“I think this was one of the most impressive seasons by an individual player ever,” Shanahan said about McCaffrey’s year. “Just in terms of what a warrior and man he is week in, week out. People who do that every week, to do it for 17 weeks in a row, not getting a bye week until December, and then to do it these last two games, like, Christian finds a way every week.
“He commits himself 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to get his body possible to go out there and compete. I’ve never been around anything like that. The dude was unbelievable. His dedication to really empty the tank every single game and to be able to do that that many games in a row is something that I’ve never really seen before.”
An emotional McCaffrey acknowledged postgame that this year was one of the toughest of his career after the injuries last year, and credited those around him for helping him come back.
“This was one of the hardest years of my life, and everything that happened to me last year. Had to overcome a lot of odds,” McCaffrey said postgame. “From the time Jan 1st happened, I was rehabbing and working my butt off every single day. My wife went through it. There wasn’t a lot of time off.
“And so, obviously, we’re not proud of the way it ended, but when I look back at all the people that helped me out, the people that were with me every step of the way and believed me when a lot of people didn’t, I appreciate that. Just really grateful for my family, my friends, and everybody in that locker room.”
Now, the 49ers head into a crucial offseason, where they’ll have to assess several positions on the roster. But there was a lot to appreciate from this 2024 season, with McCaffrey’s year being one of those things.
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