Why isn’t Christian McCaffrey playing for the 49ers against the Chiefs in Week 7?

Christian McCaffrey is eligible to come off the San Francisco 49ers' injured reserve list (IR), but the star running back will remain on the sidelines in Week 7, as he continues his recovery from an Achilles injury that has kept him out of every Game this season.

The 49ers host the Kansas City Chiefs today, with Kyle Shanahan’s men looking to build on a Week 6 win over the Seattle Seahawks that saw the Californians improve to 3-3.

When could McCaffrey return for San Francisco 49ers?

Having been hit by Achilles tendinitis, McCaffrey was placed on the IR in mid-September, ahead of the 49ers' Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Under NFL rules, players can come off the IR after four games, so San Francisco have been allowed to reactivate the 28-year-old since their Week 5 defeat to the Arizona Cardinals on October 6. However, he remained on the IR in Week 6.

The day after beating the Seahawks on October 10, San Francisco head coach Shanahan then confirmed that the franchise would not attempt to get McCaffrey ready for a return against the Chiefs. “He is continuing to improve, but we’re not opening it up this week,” the coach told reporters.

Earlier this month, ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that the 49ers may well wait to bring McCaffrey back into the team until after they return from their bye week in Week 9. In Week 10, San Francisco face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 10.

Speaking to Bay Area radio station KNBR on Friday, 49ers general manager John Lynch said he couldn’t yet offer any public indication as to when McCaffrey will return.

“[There are] no new updates other than he’s doing incredibly well,” Lynch said, per 49erswebzone. “It’s all about the ramp-up, increasing the activity, making sure that there’s no setbacks. I could just tell people he’s on a good track with that. No timelines or anything, but he’s doing a little bit more - not each day. We kind of stagger it, work hard one day, kind of go into more of a [regeneration] day the next day.

“But when you can start to stack those and not have setbacks, that’s a good thing, and that’s kind of the direction he’s trending in.”

Chiefs vs 49ers: start time, how to watch

The 49ers face the Chiefs at Levi’s Stadium today, Sunday October 20, 2024, with kick-off in Santa Clara scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET/1:25 p.m. PT. Viewers in the US can watch the game on FOX and FOX Deportes. If you don’t have cable, you can stream FOX’s coverage on fubo, which offers new users a free introductory trial.

Enjoy the Chiefs vs the 49ers live on fubo.

While the 49ers have an even split of victories and defeats so far this season, the Chiefs have won every game they have played in 2024. Most recently, the back-to-back defending Super Bowl champions beat the the New Orleans Saints 26-13 in Week 5. In Week 6, Kansas City were among four teams that had a bye week.