Christian McCaffrey had a resurgent game against the Buffalo Bills. He finally looked like the player who would be the savior of the San Francisco 49ers.

And then he left the game early in the second quarter with a knee injury. McCaffrey would not return to the game after that. At first there was a fear that it was his Achilles heel. He took a handoff on a stretch run play to the right side of the offensive line.

McCaffrey went down after taking a few steps, suggesting he was in pain or restricted. So of course, given the sequence, the Achilles heel is the knee-jerk reaction. He had been dealing with it all season long before returning in Week 10, so it made sense that it was, especially given his workload.

However, it is not his Achilles that has suffered. And now there’s clarity after the 49ers delivered discouraging news about McCaffrey’s injury. He suffered a PCL injury that will sideline him for at least a few weeks and could potentially rule him out for the season. It came after he broke off an 18-yard run that was almost a home run if it wasn’t narrowly tackled.

So the 49ers may have seen McCaffrey for the last time in 2024. If that’s the case, McCaffrey will finish the year having played four games, running the ball 50 times for 202 yards and no touchdowns. As a receiver, he had 15 catches for 146 yards. Not too shabby for a man who developed Achilles tendonitis in both legs.

You just feel sorry for McCaffrey. He started to look like he was going full speed against the Bills. In hindsight, this play would have been the one that turned things around for McCaffrey and possibly the offense as well.

Unfortunately, his season may end just as he’s on the cusp.