"I'm focused on this week and playing Seattle on Sunday."

That's what 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey told reporters Friday after he missed practice with a calf injury and was listed as questionable for Week 1 against the Seahawks on Sunday.

Now let's flashback to Sept. 6, 2024 -- almost a year ago to the day. After sitting out most of training camp with what was called a calf injury, he was listed as questionable for the season opener against the Jets. McCaffrey brushed it off, saying the injury was "not a concern for me."

Things escalated very quickly from there. We then learned McCaffrey was dealing with bilateral Achilles tendinitis, which landed him on injured reserve. The injury was so significant that McCaffrey took a trip to Germany to see a specialist. He returned after missing the first eight games -- only to tear his PCL about a month later and miss the rest of the season.

So yeah, we're not taking the bait this time, McCaffrey. We still have PTSD from last year.

Any injury with McCaffrey is alarming because he's missed 37 games over the past four seasons. The fact that McCaffrey had bilateral Achilles tendinitis last year, necessitating that trip to Germany, and is dealing with a calf injury now, is about as concerning as it gets, despite his attempts to quiet it. At this point it feels like we're dealing with a ticking time bomb, even if he plays Week 1.

McCaffrey is typically not a quick healer. He missed 13 games in 2020 with a combination of ankle, shoulder and quad injuries. Then he was out for 10 games in 2021 with ankle and hamstring injuries. You can look back to 2023 for a best-case scenario for 49ers fans. He missed just the season finale in 2023 with a minor calf strain suffered in the previous week. He returned and crushed it in the playoffs as San Francisco made the Super Bowl. That doesn't feel like the most likely scenario here, though, at based on last year's injuries.

Christian McCaffrey injuries since 2020

There are a lot of implications if this injury lingers or eventually develops into something worse, which feels inevitable.

If McCaffrey has to miss any significant amount of time, I'm sorry, but the 49ers are done. This is already a 49ers team that lost eight starters this offseason. Jauan Jennings is dealing with a calf injury, Brandon Aiyuk is on the PUP list, Demarcus Robinson is suspended and Deebo Samuel was traded to the Commanders.

Plus, you could argue McCaffrey was already the engine that made the 49ers offense go when they made the Super Bowl in 2023. He led the NFL in scrimmage yards (2,023) and touchdowns (21) while winning NFL Offensive Player of the Year. If the 49ers are going to bounce back this year, it's because McCaffrey has a monster year. We've seen what they've done without McCaffrey, and it's not good. The 49ers have a 23-8 record when McCaffrey plays since trading for him in 2022. When he doesn't play, they're 5-9.

McCaffrey is the ultimate chess piece who can create mismatches all over the field and is a top-three running back in the league when healthy. He didn't look at all like that last year in the four games he played. It looked like he lost a step, so whose to say this minor calf injury won't stand in the way of him regaining MVP form? McCaffrey posted the lowest missed tackle rate of his career (10%) in 2024, and only 12% of his runs went for 10-plus yards, down from 16% in 2023.

This also puts a giant burden on Brock Purdy, who signed a five-year extension worth $265 million this offseason. Purdy has looked like an MVP-caliber quarterback in Kyle Shanahan's system when all of his pieces are healthy. He's as good as any quarterback at getting the ball into the hands of his playmakers with anticipation and accuracy. He has also shown a knack for extending plays with underappreciated athleticism.

However, he's looked shaky to say the least when the deck is stacked against him. Purdy has a losing record (10-11) in his career when any of McCaffrey, Samuel, Aiyuk, Trent Williams or George Kittle doesn't play. He's 17-4 when all five play. Now, there's a chance he's beginning the season without McCaffrey, Aiyuk and obviously Samuel.

Purdy's hasn't been as reliable when the game doesn't go as scripted, either. He has nine touchdown passes and 15 interceptions in his career when tied or trailing in the second half, including playoffs. The 49ers will probably be playing in more unfavorable scripts again this year. The run game wouldn't be nearly as effective without McCaffrey, even with the trade for Brian Robinson Jr. and Isaac Guerendo providing some depth.

Plus, San Francisco's defense was bottom-five in the NFL last year, and that was before losing six starters on that side of the ball this offseason. They might need to win some track meets this year. That's going to be very tough to do when they could be this undermanned and putting way too much on Purdy's shoulders. That could ultimately mean Purdy is in line to face a lot of scrutiny this year. It could also be an opportunity for him to grow from last year and prove people wrong. We shall see.

Meanwhile, the reaction of every McCaffrey fantasy owner out there.

He was a consensus first-round pick in 2025 despite missing 13 games last season. He led all running backs in PPR fantasy points per game in 2023 (24.5) and is the career leader at the position dating back to the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 (22.1).

A lingering injury might not be as devastating for your fantasy team as it would be for the 49ers. Kyle Shanahan always operates a running back factory, so hopefully you got a good handcuff with either Robinson or Guerendo. Guerendo exploded with 26.8 fantasy points in his first career start in Week 14 last season before tailing off, but he at least has upside.

There's also plenty of potential league winners with all the explosive rookie rushers looking to leave their mark in 2025. Any of these names could elevate to RB1 status with the right amount of playing time: Omarion Hampton, TreVeyon Henderson, RJ Harvey, Kaleb Johnson, Cam Skattebo and Bhayshul Tuten.

Finally, McCaffrey's quotes today make the injury sound less severe than originally feared. You might want to take advantage of that solid PR spin and sell low now to recoup some of his value.

If you're not a 49ers fan, or a McCaffrey fantasy owner, you could still be missing out on the McCaffrey experience. He averages the fourth-most scrimmage yards per game in NFL history (114.2) behind Jim Brown, Billy Sims and Barry Sanders. He's one of the most complete running backs of all-time as the only player ever with averages of 50 rushing yards per game and 45 receiving yards per game. It would be awful for the sport if this injury gets worse.

At this point, there feels like two potential outcomes: He either shakes off a minor calf strain and continues a Hall of Fame career, or his injury history repeats itself and his career just becomes a "what IF".

Following 2023, he was one of 10 players in NFL history with 10,000 scrimmage yards and 80 touchdowns through seven seasons along with LaDainian Tomlinson, Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, Adrian Peterson, Marshall Faulk, Jim Brown, Eric Dickerson, Shaun Alexander and Ezekiel Elliott. I would love to see McCaffrey finish his career in that type of company instead of saying, "Remember when McCaffrey was on the path to being one of the greatest running backs ever?"

If this is the beginning of the end for the 49ers season, then who knows what the domino effect could be. I would be concerned about the 49ers brass, especially Shanahan's future. Last year's Super Bowl hangover clearly took a toll on him and all of the Super Bowl heartbreak over the years has as well. Who knows how he'll respond if the 49ers have another brutal year like last season when they dealt with the most injuries in the NFL. Would he want a fresh start? Would he want to step away from coaching or continue chasing an elusive championship with the 49ers.

These are among the thoughts that race through your mind when you see "calf injury" and "Christian McCaffrey" together. It's a massive red flag.

On the flip side, maybe all of this is for naught. McCaffrey could be fine and the 49ers could take advantage of an easy schedule and winnable division to contend for a Super Bowl again.