ClutchPoints
After a brutal 41-6 exit in the Divisional Round at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks, the San Francisco 49ers are heading home. But while the scoreboard at Lumen Field told a story of a blowout, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan made sure to highlight a different narrative: the historic resilience of Christian McCaffrey.
Shanahan was proud when reflecting on McCaffrey’s comeback season, calling it “one of the most impressive seasons by an individual player ever.” Coming off a 2024 campaign where injuries limited him to just four games, the superstar running back answered back by playing all 17 regular-season games in 2025. He racked up a massive 2,126 scrimmage yards and 17 total touchdowns, proving that he is still the engine of this San Francisco offense.
When told of his coach’s high praise, McCaffrey got real about the emotional toll of the past year. “It takes time to process,” McCaffrey confessed. “It was one of the hardest years of my life, with everything that happened to me. I had to overcome a lot of odds, working my butt off every single day.”
"It takes time to process. It was one of the hardest years of my life, with everything that happened to me. I had to overcome a lot of odds, working my butt off every single day. My wife went through it with me. There wasn't a lot of time off. When I look back at all the people… pic.twitter.com/B79YU4mrHf
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) January 18, 2026
Saturday’s game was a tough environment for that work to shine. The Seahawks’ “Dark Side” defense suffocated the 49ers all night, holding McCaffrey to just 35 rushing yards on 11 carries. He added five catches for 39 yards, but for the first time in nine career playoff games, he was kept out of the end zone, ending his bid to tie Thurman Thomas for the most consecutive postseason games with a touchdown.
Despite the lopsided loss and a stinger that briefly sent him to the sideline in the second quarter, McCaffrey refused to let the defeat overshadow the brotherhood in the locker room. “It’s such a weird emotional roller coaster,” he noted. “In all my years playing, it’s the proudest I am to be part of a team.”
The 49ers’ season ends at 13-6, but with McCaffrey back at an All-Pro level, the foundation for 2026 is already set.
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