The 49ers return to the practice field Tuesday and do so with 2023 NFL rushing champion Christian McCaffrey, who strained his right calf two weeks ago.
SANTA CLARA — It’s full-steam ahead for Christian McCaffrey in the 49ers’ playoff run, literally.
Having spent the past two weeks recovering from a calf strain, McCaffrey fully participated in the 49ers’ first practice Tuesday, their first session since learning they’ll host the Green Bay Packers in Saturday night’s divisional-round playoff game at Levi’s Stadium.
“He’s geared up and ready to go,” coach Kyle Shanahan. “Same as last year, and same when he was probably 5 years old. Christian’s always the same and waiting for that moment, and he’s been waiting for this moment for a while.”
The next defense McCaffrey and the No. 1-seed 49ers encounter will belong to the No. 7-seed Packers, who led 27-0 Sunday before ousting the No. 2 Dallas Cowboys 48-32 in the wild-card playoffs.
“We started really focusing on them halfway through the second quarter,” Shanahan said of the Packers.
Defensive end Nick Bosa wasn’t shocked that the Cowboys, and then the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday, both got eliminated before the 49ers’ took their first playoff snaps. “As you see the season go on, and, in the playoffs, stopping the run and running the ball is how you win,” Bosa said. “Those two teams didn’t do it very good, so they’re out.”
McCaffrey ran so well he won the NFL’s regular-season rushing title in wire-to-wire fashion, even though the 49ers kept him out of their Week 18 loss to the Los Angeles Rams as a precaution.
McCaffrey scored in each of the 49ers’ three playoff games, and, in fact, he’s scored in four career postseason appearances, seeing how he had a touchdown catch in the 2017 Carolina Panthers’ wild-card defeat. He’s also scored against the Packers in both of his career games when with the Panthers.
Aaron Jones, McCaffrey’s counterpart on the Packers, led all rushers over the NFL’s wild-card round with 118 yards. He scored three touchdowns and averaged 5.6 yards per carry Sunday. Linebacker Fred Warner said Jones is playing “at a real impressive, super-high level. I’ve respected his game for a long time. We’ve got that mutual respect there.” Jones has rushed for over 100 yards in four straight games, but he hasn’t eclipsed that mark in six career meetings with the 49ers.
Jones did have 129 receiving yards (nine catches) along with 41 rushing yards (12 carries) when the No. 1-seeded Packers lost at home to the 49ers two years ago in divisional-round action. Jones had 83 combined yards at Levi’s Stadium when the 2019 49ers beat the Packers 37-20 for the NFC Championship.
IT’S ALL LOVE, NOT RODGERS
Packers quarterback Jordan Love drew praise from the 49ers’ top defenders for how well he’s played — and conformed to Matt LaFleur’s scheme — in his first year since replacing Aaron Rodgers. “They’ve got a lot of the same guys from the past teams they’ve had, and a quarterback who does exactly what he’s supposed to do,” Bosa said. “Aaron Rodgers is a Hall of Famer and unbelievable, but he went outside the realm of coaching, and sometimes it’s good when you have a guy who does what he’s coached to do.”
Added Warner: “The things you see showing up, obviously learning under Aaron, some of the mannerisms and the way he’s operating under center and in the (shotgun formation), he’s doing a great job. He’s making the throws and smart decisions, which is what you want the most from that position from a young player.”
IRON SHARPENS IRON
The 49ers’ starting units practiced against each other last Friday in full pads, which could prove extra beneficial to the 49ers’ defense seeing as how the Packers’ offensive scheme is similar to the 49ers. “You kind of forget just how good those guys are on that side and it was good to compete against those guys,” linebacker Fred Warner said.
GREENLAW, RYAN NOT PRACTICING
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw (Achilles), safety Logan Ryan (groin) and defensive end Clelin Ferrell (knee) did not practice, nor did left tackle Trent Williams (rest). Greenlaw and Ryan are both expected to participate in Wednesday’s practice, Shanahan said. Defensive end Arik Armstead (foot, knee) was limited; he returned last week after missing the past five games. Safety George Odum (biceps) also was limited as he is expected to come off Injured Reserve, where he has been since being injured on Thanksgiving in Seattle.
Full participants included safety Ji’Ayir Brown (knee), offensive lineman Jon Feliciano (back), safety Tashaun Gipson (quadricep), wide receiver Danny Gray (shoulder), tight end George Kittle (back), and cornerback Ambry Thomas (hand).
The Packers did not practice, but issued a report listing five players who wouldn’t have participated: running back A.J. Dillon (thumb, neck), defensive tackle Kingsley Enagbare (knee), guard Elgton Jenkins (knee, ankle), and linebacker Isaiah McDuffie (neck) and Preston Smith (ankle). Limited would have been Jones (knee, finger) cornerback Jaire Alexander (shoulder, ankle), defensive end Kenny Clark (back), linebacker Rashan Gary (knee), kick returner/cornerback Keisean Nixon (toe), safety Jonathan Owens (knee), wide receiver Jayden Reed (chest), safety Darnell Savage (shoulder, calf), and wide receiver Christian Watson (hamstring).
SAMUEL SHRUGS OFF WEATHER
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel said not to worry about Saturday’s rainy forecast. It will pale in comparison to the 49ers’ last playoff game against the Packers, when temperatures dropped from 14 degrees at kickoff and Samuel was “the coldest I’ve ever been in my life.” The 49ers won that game 13-10 on a Robbie Gould field goal that Samuel helped set up with a 9-yard run to the Packers’ 29 on third-and-7.
“The one thing I remember is when we blocked the punt and we scored,” Samuel said of Talanoa Hufanga’s game-tying touchdown off a blocked punt with 4 1/2 minutes left. “I was like, ‘God is all on our side right now,’ with how it went. It was a grind for sure. And it was freezing cold. We were ready to get up out of there after we got the ‘W,’ for sure.”
Samuel endured shoulder and ankle injuries that game while totaling 39 rushing yards, 44 receiving yards and 59 kick-return yards (142 all-purpose yards). He’s “wasn’t surprised at all” the Packers advanced this past Sunday, adding: “The Packers went out there, played good ball and they won.”
BROWN BACK AT SAFETY
Rookie Ji’Ayir Brown, after missing the final two regular-season games with a knee injury, is reprising his role as the starting safety next to Tashaun Gipson. While he was out, Brown did a lot of self-scouting, and he also picked up some tips from his veteran replacement, Ryan.
“You go through those films and you watch and look at your footwork, your eye progression, and you put yourself back in that place to see what you could have done better,” Brown said. “My communication wasn’t a problem when I self-scouted but I always feel you can communicate more.”
After witnessing a barrage of missed tackles in the wild-card playoffs, Brown said such errors happen when defenders stray from fundamental technique with their eyes and footwork, when they should have been, in his words: “Coming down, breaking down, gaining ground. Eye through the thigh.”
PETERS ON LEAVING 49ERS
Adam Peters, in his introduction as the Washington Commanders’ general manager, expressed gratitude for his past seven years in the 49ers’ front office, essentially serving as general manager John Lynch’s right-hand man since they arrived with Shanahan in 2017. Peters sees a similar situation in Washington to the one he joined with the 49ers.
“Those were dark days but right away with the 49ers. Maybe the results didn’t show but you could see what we were doing on the field and the fans could feel it,” Peters said. “They knew we were turning. You can’t put timetables on it. You’re going to see great competitors, a physical team, and you can tell right away.”
Peters called it an “opportunity of a lifetime” to become a general manager. He thanked the 49ers’ ownership, Lynch, and Shanahan for running a “first-class organization” and being “incredible in my development.” Peters also tipped his cap to the 49ers Faithful, calling it a “great fan base, just like this one — passionate and loyal.”
Peters initially thanked the Commanders’ new ownership group that’s led by Josh Harris, who sat next to him at the press conference and said of his hire: “Adam’s a winner. He’s won everywhere he’s been, first in Boston then obviously in Denver and San Francisco. He’s learned from a lot of great leaders. He’s about excellence, about attracting the best people and holding them accountable. He’s inclusive. It was a pretty easy decision.”
Peters, 44, was born in Mountain View and attended Monta Vista High-Cupertino. The first mentor he mentioned was former Monta Vista baseball coach Dave Viera, and Peters also thanked his agent, Doug Hendrickson, also a Monta Vista alumnus.
