It’s safe to say that the 2024 season did not go as planned for the reigning NFC Champions. San Francisco 49ers. Despite expectations of returning to the Super Bowl, the 49ers are just 4-4 entering their Week 10 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If they started today they would miss the play-offs.

Even though the season has been disappointing, the Niners have a valid excuse. They were devastated by injuries. Almost their entire offense, except for Brock Purdy, was injury-related, causing the team to lag.

Fortunately for the Niners, only Brandon Aiyuk’s injury was season-ending. Players like Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Ricky Pearsall, who missed at least one game due to injury, are now healthy and the Niners are getting good news on the injury front with star running back Christian McCaffrey. He is expected to make his debut of the season At week 10.

McCaffrey has been sidelined since the preseason with an Achilles injury, but is finally ready to make his mark in the 2024 season. Of course, getting a star like McCaffrey back is great for any team, but this statistic proves just how important he is to the Niners in particular.

Since signing McCaffrey midway through the 2022 season, the 49ers have lost just five of 27 regular-season games. In the nine matches he missed, they were defeated five times. They go from an unstoppable situation with McCaffrey to a sub-.500 team without him. People who say running backs don’t matter definitely don’t like to see that.

It’s not hard to see why McCaffrey has been so important to San Francisco’s success. Can do it when healthy everything. He is an elite runner and pass catcher, making him impossible to defend. McCaffrey’s presence alone opens the door to everything for Purdy and his guns.

Jordan Mason has been good in McCaffrey’s absence, but the Niners are about to reclaim the Offensive Player of the Year award. If McCaffrey is almost fully healthy, his return changes everything. The NFC West is in a lot of games, and frankly the Niners don’t have many teams to fear in the NFC other than the Detroit Lions. It wouldn’t be surprising to see his return spark the Niners and help salvage the season.