Kyle Shanahan confirmed what everyone in the NFL world already knew, Christian McCaffrey won't play in the San Francisco 49es' regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Rams.

McCaffrey, Shanahan confirmed, suffered a mild calf strain in the 49ers' Week 17 win over the Washington Commanders.

He sat out most of the second half as the Niners cruised to a 27-10 victory that proved enough for San Francisco to clinch the one seed in the NFC courtesy of the Arizona Cardinals' stunning win over the Philadelphia Eagles. 

McCaffrey will remain on the sideline in Week 18, but the 49ers are confident he'll be ready in time for San Francisco's Divisional Round matchup, with the first-round bye critical in giving the Niners' most valuable offensive skill player extra time to recover.

"We're real confident on that. It was good news," Shanahan told his Monday conference call. 

"It could have been a lot worse. We're happy that they'll take care of him this week and hopefully he'll start getting to go during our off week."

It means McCaffrey ends the regular season with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and 21 touchdowns. Both those tallies lead the NFL.

With 91 yards in the win over the Commanders, McCaffrey became only the third player in NFL history to record at least 2,000 scrimmage yards in a season for two franchises, joining Eric Dickerson (L.A. Rams and Indianapolis Colts) and Marshall Faulk (St. Louis Rams and Indianapolis Colts) in a very select club.

That achievement should be enough for him to receive the Offensive Player of the Year award.

However, there is the possibility that a dominant performance from Tyreek Hill for the Miami Dolphins in the final regular-season game of the campaign takes it away from him. Indeed, a primetime showcase from one of the NFL's best receivers is the only thing separating its best running back from deserved and overdue recognition.

49ers’ Christian McCaffrey gets late Christmas gift from his favorite opponent

They’ve been very hospitable to him.