SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey has looked good in his first week back at practice after being sidelined by Achilles tendinitis and is on track to make his season debut Sunday against Tampa Bay.
McCaffrey returned to practice on Monday and has made it through three days of work on the field without any setbacks, leading coach Kyle Shanahan to say he expects his star back to play.
“He’s been awesome these last two days,” Shanahan told radio station KNBR on Thursday. “You never know (about) a setback or anything, but these two days have been great, and I expect to see him out there.”
McCaffrey has been dealing with Achilles tendinitis since early August. He missed almost all of training camp before returning to practice just before the season opener. He was scratched at the last minute before that game against the New York Jets on Sept. 9 and then had a setback at practice Sept. 12.
He was placed on injured reserve two days later and spent the past seven weeks resting and rehabilitating, including a trip to Germany for treatment.
The 49ers (4-4) are counting on McCaffrey’s return for a second-half boost. San Francisco has sputtered in the first half of the season with the offense scoring 3.9 fewer points per game than last season.
“It’s been awesome,” quarterback Brock Purdy said of getting McCaffrey back. “Just what he brings to the table and really just firing everybody else up around. All of us coming off the bye week and feeling good and fresh and then you get (him) next to you in the backfield, it’s been awesome. Looks great moving around and he’s trending in the right direction. So, we’re excited to see what happens.”
Jordan Mason has done a good job filling in for McCaffrey with 685 yards rushing in eight games, but the Niners have sorely missed the reigning AP Offensive Player of the Year in the red zone and in the passing game.
McCaffrey led the NFL last season with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and was tied for the league lead with 21 touchdowns as he helped lead San Francisco to the Super Bowl.
After missing 23 games because of injuries in his final two full seasons with Carolina, McCaffrey had been healthy the past two seasons.
He missed only one game combined in 2022-23 — a meaningless Week 18 game last season for San Francisco when he had a sore calf. His 798 combined touches from scrimmage in the regular season and playoffs were the third most for any player in a two-year span in the past 10 years.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
FILE - San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey speaks with the media after NFL football practice in Santa Clara, Calif., Tuesday, June 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)
FILE - San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) scores a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jack Roslovic had two goals and an assist as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win.
Jordan Martinook, Jaccob Slavin and Eric Robinson also scored for Carolina, and Jalen Chatfield had three assists. Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 35 shots.
Blake Lizotte scored for Pittsburgh and Alex Nedeljkovic had 14 saves. The Penguins lost for the eighth time in 10 games (2-6-2).
The Hurricanes needed just 52 seconds to get on the scoreboard with Martinook tipping in a pass by Jordan Staal. Two of Carolina’s first three shots got past Nedeljkovic, who spent his first four NHL seasons with Carolina.
Roslovic scored at 8:47 in the first period and then again at 9:27 in the second to put the Hurricanes up 3-0.
Penguins: It was 5-0 in the third period before the Penguins showed any real signs of scoring life. The power play, which has been a bright spot in a slow start to the season, went 0 for 4. On the bright side, Lizotte's goal at 5:08 of the third was the fourth-line center's second in three games.
Hurricanes: After going 4-0-0 on their October road trip, the Hurricanes have won four straight at home. They added four new forwards to their regular lineup and lost two key defensemen (Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei) in free agency but haven't missed a beat in a 10-2-0 start to the season.
Kochetkov allowed four goals on 16 shots in Tuesday’s win over Philadelphia. He was much sharper in his fifth straight start on Thursday, especially on a 4-minute penalty kill after Jesperi Kotkaniemi was called for high-sticking.
Roslovic has a team-best nine goals through 12 games. He had nine in 59 games with two different teams last season.
The Penguins visit Washington on Friday, and the Hurricanes visit Colorado on Saturday.
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Carolina Hurricanes' William Carrier (28) protects the puck in front of Pittsburgh Penguins' Marcus Pettersson (28) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
Carolina Hurricanes' Seth Jarvis (24) tries to maintain control of the puck near Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (39) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
Carolina Hurricanes' William Carrier (28) takes Pittsburgh Penguins' Ryan Graves (27) off the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (39) tries to freeze the puck with teammate Marcus Pettersson (28) battling Carolina Hurricanes' William Carrier (28) nearby during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (39) protects the puck against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
Carolina Hurricanes' Dmitry Orlov (7) checks Pittsburgh Penguins' Evgeni Malkin (71) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
Carolina Hurricanes' Jack Roslovic (96) is congratulated on his goal by teammates Sebastian Aho (20) and Andrei Svechnikov (37) during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (39) blocks a shot as teammate Kris Letang (58) battles with Carolina Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov (37) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov (52) controls the puck in front of Pittsburgh Penguins' Evgeni Malkin (71) and Hurricanes William Carrier (28) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
Carolina Hurricanes' Jack Roslovic (96) celebrates his goal with teammates Dmitry Orlov, left, Andrei Svechnikov, second left, and Sebastian Aho (20) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
