What happened to Christian McCaffrey? Why the 49ers RB’s Week 10 numbers sparked renewed discussion about his health status

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Christian McCaffrey's performance in Week 10 saw a dip. This was not due to injury but rather strong defensive strategies. Opposing teams are focusing on stopping McCaffrey first. This highlights his crucial role as the offensive engine for the San Francisco Forty-Niners. His struggles indicate the team's other offensive players are facing challenges.

Christian McCaffrey entered Week 10 as one of the few bright spots in a San Francisco 49ers season that has been battered by injuries everywhere else. The expectation for him wasn’t just high, it was almost unfair.

With no Jauan Jennings, no Ricky Pearsall, limited doses of George Kittle, and even stretches without Brock Purdy, McCaffrey became the singular engine that kept the Niners relevant in tough stretches. Yet when the team took on the Rams in this divisional test, viewers immediately began to ask if something was wrong. The stat sheet looked foreign to the standard he’s set. Was he hurt? Was something off? Or was the dip simply football reality?

Christian McCaffrey’s slow start in Week 10 raises questions, but this dip says more about defenses than it does his health

McCaffrey has already exploded this season as a premium pass-catching lifeline.

He has totaled 626 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 61 receptions and added 596 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 168 carries. Yet the yards-per-carry number, 3.5 — is the one that’s been the most jarring. That’s not scheme regression. That’s not physical decline. That's a defensive obsession.Against Los Angeles, the trend became impossible to ignore. As San Francisco trailed 21-7, McCaffrey had only 14 rushing yards on seven carries and 12 receiving yards on three catches, a line that looked ordinary in a year when he has felt anything but ordinary.

It’s important to note: nothing visible suggests new injury flare-ups. Last year’s trip to Germany to see specialists feels like a lifetime ago considering his 2025 availability. This looks like a classic case of a superstar being game-planned out.Defenses aren’t just reacting to McCaffrey, they’re calling entire drives based on stopping him first. When everyone else in the Niners’ offense is either injured, inexperienced, or inconsistent, that muzzling becomes even easier.So no, this Week 10 slow stretch shouldn’t be viewed as a panic signal. If anything, this is the clearest proof yet that McCaffrey is the gravitational force in the offense. When he looks human, it’s usually because everyone else is hurt, not because he is.