Saquon Barkley drops 3-word reaction as Christian McCaffrey begins rehab after season-ending injury
There have been more than a few season-ending injuries this year and Week 13's round of action added two more big names to the list. Both Christian McCaffrey and Trevor Lawrence were ruled out for the season after suffering vastly different but serious injuries.
While Lawrence's injury dominated most of the headlines and led to a three-game suspension for Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, McCaffrey's posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury also sent reverberations around the league.
On Wednesday, the San Francisco 49ers All-Pro posted a black-and-white picture that initially sent Niners fans into panic mode who at first glance assumed he was hanging up his cleats.
McCaffrey penned a long post highlighting the battles he has faced and the journey ahead. Several NFL players including Saquon Barkley left a comment under McCaffrey's post, sending him words of encouragement.
"Keep going brudda," Barkley wrote.
"Don't waste your time looking back! You're not going that way!" McCaffrey's teammate George Kittle wrote.
"God's will be done," Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker commented.
'The Avengers' star Jeremy Renner also sent McCaffrey a message, telling him he is "tougher than most."
Where do San Francisco 49ers go after Christian McCaffrey's injury?
There has been a decent amount of outrage over the 49ers' way of going about their business this year. They let Brandon Aiyuk get very close to a trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers before ultimately handing him a four-year, $120 million extension. They then drafted Ricky Pearsall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, raising questions over the timeline of their Super Bowl window.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and the team also didn't disclose the extent of McCaffrey's Achilles injury. Headlines appear to have followed the Niners all the way as they stare at the prospect of failing to make the playoffs 10 months after going all the way to the Super Bowl.
Heading into Week 14's matchup against the Chicago Bears, the Niners have the 14th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Interestingly, they haven't made a top-15 pick since drafting Trey Lance at No. 3 overall in 2021. Lance is now a third-string quarterback with the Dallas Cowboys and hasn't seen the field despite Dak Prescott's season-ending injury.