Rams’ Division Rival Has Season Resting on Star's Health

The San Francisco 49ers will have to keep a close eye on Christian McCaffrey in training camp to see if he can recover from his injury. The Los Angeles Rams will benefit if he cannot return to form.

Dec 1, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) warms up before a game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Rams won the NFC West last year despite having the same record as the Seattle Seahawks. This was due to their strength of schedule, and despite starting off the season slow, they were able to bounce back and rally as a team to make it into the playoffs and even made it to the divisional round.

The Rams are aiming to win the division in back-to-back seasons, as they cannot afford to miss the playoffs or secure a lower seeding. It doesn't help that most of their division rivals, except the Seahawks, have seemingly improved and become more cohesive as a unit.

I think their biggest threat will be the San Francisco 49ers, as they are going to benefit from having a weaker schedule due to them only winning six games last season. The Rams' schedule is harder than it was last year, despite them having the advantage early on in the season.

The 49ers still boast one of the most talented rosters across the NFL, yet they lost so many games due to the number of injuries they had to their star players. It's reasonable to expect that lightning won't strike twice and that they'll get better injury luck this time around.

One of their biggest question marks on their roster is their star running back, Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey was a big reason why they were able to make the Super Bowl in 2024, even if they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.

However, McCaffrey has not been the same player since he sustained an injury, and there are doubts about whether or not he'll be able to return to form at all. Garrett Podell, sports writer for CBS Sports, breaks down how this is the most important thing to monitor for the 49ers in training camp.

"In 2023, three-time Pro Bowl running back McCaffrey was the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year, and the 49ers reached overtime of the Super Bowl before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2024, McCaffrey played four games while dealing with bilateral Achilles tendonitis and a PCL injury in his knee, and the 49ers went 6-11.

Those 11 losses were tied for second by a team in the season after a Super Bowl loss ever. How much the soon-to-be 29-year-old running back participates in mandatory minicamp and how he looks will be something to watch because San Francisco's 2025 hopes may rest on his banged up body".

This is also something to monitor for the Rams as well, as if he isn't healthy to start off the season, the Rams can establish a big lead on the division early and take them out of the running before they could even really get going.

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