Path To 49ers Super Bowl Made Clear Despite Heartbreaking News

After last night’s humiliating 35-10 loss to the Bills in snowy Buffalo, the San Francisco 49ers’ playoff hopes are severely damaged.

The team, already battered by injuries, saw their Pro Bowl running back Christian McCaffrey exit the game early, deepening the challenges for a squad once considered Super Bowl contenders.

Despite the harsh conditions in Buffalo, the 49ers initially appeared up to the challenge as they took the field with great energy.

McCaffrey electrified the opening minutes, charging through the Bills’ defense for 53 yards on seven carries in just over a quarter.

However, the momentum came to a screeching halt when McCaffrey suffered an alarming injury on a pitch play from quarterback Brock Purdy.

He managed to walk off the field unassisted but headed directly to the medical tent.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan later confirmed at halftime that McCaffrey would not return to the game. Initial reports suggest the injury could sideline him for the rest of the season.

Star tight end George Kittle, who has also dealt with his fair share of injuries, admitted that the mighty injury bug is an unforgiving one that won’t hesitate to knock you when you’re down.

“It’s not a great feeling, but I mean, it’s football,” Kittle said. “People go down and we’ve had seasons where plenty of people have gone down and you need someone to step up and that’s what we need.

“We continually need guys to step up, whether it’s starters and players that we have that are already doing it or new guys who are getting into the rotation.

“We’re in the NFL for a reason. All these guys belong in the NFL and they have playmaking abilities. That’s on all of us.”

Meanwhile, quarterback Brock Purdy, another star familiar with playing through pain, expressed his frustration over McCaffrey’s latest injury.

“We all saw what he was doing, and he was on fire,” Purdy said. “He looked great. Hitting the holes hard and bouncing off guys and making some real explosive plays, and that’s huge.

“He’s one of the best running backs in the league and you lose him like that. I think it takes away just sort of how we do some things within the offense. It sucks.”

Achilles tendinitis kept McCaffrey out of the first eight games of the season.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan and company were careful not to rush McCaffrey back too soon.

They were hoping to buy as much time as they could, get McCaffrey back to 100% and drop him into action just into time for the stretch run.

However, losses have racked up much faster than Shanahan could have ever predicted, making the need for McCaffrey even more important.

Unfortunately, this latest PCL injury is an extremely concerning one. McCaffrey is expected to miss at least six weeks.

If he’s able to make it back to the field, it may be too late.

However, if any Niners fan wants to look on the bright side, CBS Sports laid out a potential path to the playoffs.

“Even with all the 49ers injuries — and San Francisco sitting in last place in the NFC West at 5-7 — there’s still a way for the team to win the division. Of course, the 49ers need a lot of help in the process.

Thanks to the unpredictability of the NFC West, there remains a potential of all four teams tying for the division title at 9-8. In that event, the 49ers would win the division. Here’s how the four-way tie is possible, and how the 49ers can win the division via the tiebreaker (via CBS Sports Research).

The 49ers go 4-1 with a loss vs. the Lions.
The Los Angeles Rams go 3-2 with a loss vs. the 49ers and Cardinals.
The Arizona Cardinals go 3-2 with a loss vs. 49ers and Seahawks.
The Seattle Seahawks go 2-3 with a loss vs. Rams, Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears.

In this scenario, the 49ers win the division based on the conference-record tiebreaker. The 49ers would be 6-6 in the conference with the best conference record. The Rams and Cardinals would have seven losses in the conference under this scenario, as will the Seahawks (all would finish 5-7 in conference play).

So there is a chance the 49ers can win the NFC West, but a lot needs to fall in their favor. Currently, San Francisco is two back of Seattle (7-5) with five to play. Arizona and Los Angeles are each 6-6.” -Cody Benjamin, CBS Sports

There’s no denying that the 49ers are one of the best teams in the entire league – on paper that is.

Unfortunately for Shanahan and company, NFL games are not played on paper, and injuries can destroy even the grandest of plans.

Having said that, if the Niners can somehow find their way into the playoffs, they will most certainly be a pain in the butt for ANYONE to play – especially if McCaffrey can find his way back onto the field.

What are your thoughts on the McCaffrey injury update?

Will San Francisco somehow be able to save their season in-time? … Or have they dug themselves too big of a hole???