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The San Francisco 49ers saw their season come to a disappointing end on Saturday, falling 41-6 in one of the heaviest losses in franchise postseason history. It capped off a memorable season for an injury-riddled team that found its way to six wins late in the year and the No. 1 seed in the NFC.<\/p>\n
In the end, after one playoff win, their season was cut short in disappointing fashion, sending the 49ers home with a lot to think about in 2026.<\/p>\n
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Despite a few major injuries to the 49ers, one player who has been healthy all year has been star running back Christian McCaffrey, who earned First-Team All-Pro honors at the all-purpose position this year.<\/p>\n
After playing in just four games in 2024, McCaffrey had quite the career in 2024, rushing for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns on 311 carries, while catching 102 passes for 924 yards and seven more scores. Efficiency hasn’t been low for the 49ers this year, but McCaffrey has had the most NFL touches, which has been a staple for him when he’s healthy.<\/p>\n
He had the second-leading tackler in the NFL in the regular season, behind only Jonathan Taylor, most notably by himself. After that, he proves to be the sixth-most punt catcher in the NFL this year, and that gets even more fun.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters after the game, coach Kyle Shanahan had nothing but praise for his returning star after another stellar season.<\/p>\n
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“I think this was one of the most impressive seasons for one player,” Shanahan said of McCaffrey’s year. “According to how a hero and a man is not a week, the whole week. People who do that every week, to do it for 17 weeks in a row, don’t get a bye week until December, and then do these last two games, like, Christian gets a way every week.<\/p>\n
“He commits 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to get his body ready to go out there and compete. I’ve never been in a place like that. The guy was unbelievable. His dedication to emptying the tank every game and being able to do that multiple games in a row is something I’ve never seen before.”<\/p>\n
A devastated McCaffrey admitted that this year has been one of the toughest in his career after being injured last year, and credited those around him for helping him bounce back.<\/p>\n
“This was the hardest year of my life, with everything that happened to me last year. I had to overcome many obstacles,” said McCaffrey after the game. “From the time Jan 1 happened, I was exercising and grooming myself every day, my wife experienced it, there was not much time to rest.<\/p>\n
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“And, obviously, we’re not proud of how it ended, but when I look back at all the people who helped me, the people who were with me the whole time and believed in me when most people didn’t, I appreciate that.<\/p>\n
Now, the 49ers enter an important offseason, where they will have to evaluate several positions on the roster. But there’s a lot to be excited about this 2024 season, McCaffrey’s year being one of those things.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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