The San Francisco 49ers gave themselves reason to celebrate heading into their Week 9 bye with a primetime win over the Dallas Cowboys, and they should be in good spirits coming out of it.

Having reached the bye still firmly in the mix, albeit with a disappointing 4-4 record, without Christian McCaffrey for the first eight games, the 49ers can now look forward to getting the reigning Offensive Player of the Year back in the lineup.

Speaking in his Monday conference call, head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed the 49ers will look to open McCaffrey's practice window next week with a view to him finally making his 2024 debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10.

McCaffrey has missed the entire season with Achilles tendinitis in both legs, with Jordan Mason primarily filling the void in his absence and rookie Isaac Guerendo taking on an increased role in recent weeks.

Shanahan said of McCaffrey in his Monday conference call: "He's had no setbacks so it looks like we're on track.

"But he's going to hit it hard this week while we're gone and simulate some practice stuff for himself. 

"As long as it all goes good, hopefully we'll get him back in practice next week."

While Mason and Guerendo have found plenty of success on the ground, the 49ers' passing game has had to live a much more difficult life without McCaffrey, the loss of his impact as a pass-catcher out of the backfield and in the formation leading to quarterback Brock Purdy relying on a lot more lower-percentage throws.

The 49ers will hope McCaffrey's seemingly imminent return will allow them to make things easier, and help San Francisco gather steam in a playoff push that has consistently sputtered to this point.

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It’s been sorely needed.