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USATSI

The 49ers are one game away from Super Bowl LVII after taking down the Cowboys in the divisional round on Sunday. As they gear up for the NFC Championship game against the Eagles next week, the status of one of their most dynamic players on offense will be worth monitoring. 

Running back Christian McCaffrey broke the nine-all tie with a two-yard run at the start of the fourth quarter, but then gave way to fellow Niners back Elijah Mitchell, who took the bulk of the carries during that final quarter of play. McCaffrey could be seen on the sideline working on his right calf in the final minutes of the game and told reporters postgame that he was dealing with some discomfort. He added that the injury shouldn't be a problem next week as San Francisco travels to Philadelphia to make its bid for a Super Bowl berth. 

"I was fighting but made it through, made it through great," McCaffrey said postgame. "Nothing bad. All good."

McCaffrey finished with 35 yards on the ground on 10 carries to go along with that fourth-quarter touchdown. He also hauled in a team-high six receptions for 22 yards. 

Since being acquired by the Niners in the trade with the Panthers earlier this season, the 26-year-old has been a dominant force out of the backfield. In just 11 regular season games, McCaffrey totaled 1,210 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns. San Francisco also went 10-0 in the games McCaffrey started to end the year. He also rushed for 119 yards in the win over Seattle in the wild-card round. Already, this is the furthest he's ever gone in the postseason in his career and is now gearing up for a possible Super Bowl appearance. 

"The prep starts now," he said of the NFC title game. "Getting your body back and ready to go, that's the most important thing on Sunday. It feels good to win this one, obviously, we've got more life, but the prep for next week starts now."

While McCaffrey did seem to brush off the calf injury as nothing too serious, it will naturally be something to monitor throughout the week leading up to this major showdown with the Eagles.