49ers' Christian McCaffrey not focused on Super Bowl despite expectations

Star running back Christian McCaffrey isn't thinking about his San Francisco 49ers getting past the NFC Championship game even though they may have been a healthy quarterback away from the Super Bowl this past winter. 

"Obviously, this team is hungry, wants to do that, and I think, right now, it's just about taking it one day at a time, being as polished as we can in practice, minimizing mistakes, building off of each day, getting better and going out and doing everything we can to win every game," McCaffrey told NFL Network's Omar Ruiz on Sunday, per David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. "... I think for us, the special thing about this team is we're not looking to the Super Bowl, we're not looking to even Week 1 yet. We're focused on today. We're focused on right now."

The 49ers faced unique challenges when they lost each of the last two conference title matchups. Back in January 2022, then-starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo played through right (throwing) thumb and right shoulder injuries when San Francisco fell to the Los Angeles Rams. Roughly one year later, the 49ers were without both Garoppolo and Week 1 starter Trey Lance when rookie sensation Brock Purdy suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow in the NFC Championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Purdy was cleared to participate in practices last week and appears on track to start the upcoming regular-season opener at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 10. Lance, meanwhile, is competing with free-agency signing Sam Darnold for the QB2 job and an opportunity to play in the event Purdy experiences any type of setback this summer. 

McCaffrey indicated such depth could save the 2023 edition of the 49ers following all that occurred over the past two seasons. 

"The next man up is not always a bad thing," McCaffrey explained. "You got talent all over the place. Not just at the starting positions but at the backup. So we have depth, we've got the guys who can do it, and we've got the coaches who can get everybody ready to roll and put guys in positions to win."

As of Monday afternoon, OddsChecker listed the 49ers as second among betting favorites at +400 odds to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LVIII this coming February. McCaffrey clearly wants little to do with that type of talk as San Francisco prepares to begin its preseason at the Las Vegas Raiders on Aug. 13.