McCaffrey returns to practice for short-handed 49ers

By JOSH DUBOW
AP Pro Football Writer
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers lost one of their key running backs to a knee injury, but got much better news about their other one. Christian McCaffrey returned to practice after dealing with some “knee irritation” during last week’s win over New Orleans. Having McCaffrey in the lineup is crucial after Elijah Mitchell went down with a knee injury last week that is expected to sideline him for the rest of the regular season.