SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Christian McCaffrey’s back is aching, understandably so. His 399 touches are the most ever in a 49ers season.

The 49ers’ offensive workhorse has yet to miss a game this season, but a “stiff” back kept him from Tuesday’s light practice at Levi’s Stadium, ahead of Saturday’s high-stakes 5 p.m. kickoff against the Seattle Seahawks for the NFC playoffs’ No. 1 seed.

McCaffrey said his back issue is “not serious” and seemed upbeat during his routine yet lengthy media session at his locker.

Also shelved Tuesday were left tackle Trent Williams (hamstring), fullback Kyle Juszczyk (hip) and defensive lineman Keion White (groin) because of injuries in Sunday night’s 42-38 win over the Chicago Bears.

Tight end George Kittle was cleared to practice in a limited capacity, a week after spraining an ankle at Indianapolis. Others limited: wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee, ankle), defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos (hamstring), and cornerback Upton Stout (concussion protocol).

“It’s a huge game for us, obviously, this week,” McCaffrey said. “Our team’s intent and focus is to get better today and show up Saturday ready to roll.”

Winning will vault the 49ers (12-4) past the Seahawks (13-3) for the NFC playoffs’ No. 1 seed, as well as their fourth NFC West title in coach Kyle Shanahan’s nine seasons (and third in four years). The 49ers would own the first tiebreaker against the Seahawks by having swept the home-and-away series, which began with a 17-13 win in Seattle in Week 1.

Losing will send the 49ers into next weekend’s wild-card round as either the Nos. 5 or 6 seed, depending on whether the Los Angeles Rams (11-5) lose a third straight game Sunday when they host the Arizona Cardinals (3-13). The Rams, if they win after a Niners loss, would own the tiebreaker for the No. 5 seed by virtue of a better record against common opponents, at 9-3 vs. 8-4.

Sunday night, McCaffrey’s back required attention from the medical staff in the Sunday’s final minutes, but he remained in the game, and his 18-yard reception to the Bears’ 38-yard line set up Brock Purdy’s go-ahead touchdown pass to Jauan Jennings two plays later.

The 49ers’ season-long protocol has been to rest McCaffrey each week’s first practice.

Two weeks ago, McCaffrey was added to the 49ers’ injury report after reporting back tightness the day before their win over Tennessee. “It feels like a year ago,” Shanahan said. “I hadn’t heard anything about it since. It was a little sore Sunday night.”

Sunday night’s season-best 140-yard rushing output included a career-best 121 first-half yards. That came after a 117-yard rushing game in Indianapolis, and 73 yards against the Titans a day after going public with his back issue.

McCaffrey’s late-season success is not new, at least not since he got traded to the 49ers in 2022 after just one playoff appearance his first five seasons in Carolina.

His yards-per-carry average has jumped each December with the 49ers – to 5.3 yards in December 2022, 6.6 in 2023, 6.0 last season in his Buffalo cameo, and 5.0 this season. His full-season averages each of those years: 4.7, 5.4, 4.0, 3.9.

“Christian’s pretty good every time I feel like he’s in our uniform, but good ones only get better as the year goes,” Shanahan said.

The Seahawks’ defense leads the league in allowing just 3.72 yards per carry. McCaffrey was kept under that in the 49ers’ season-opening win, rushing for 69 yards and averaging 3.1 per carry.

“As fans of the NFL, we focus on numbers and they tell a story, for sure,” McCaffrey said. “My mindset is always the same: Get better every week. You look Week 1 to now: have you gotten better and where can you get better?”

McCaffrey’s seen such growth out of Purdy since he took over at quarterback in 2022 against Miami, only six weeks after McCaffrey’s arrival. “He’s obviously grown a lot, but I’ve got to say, when he first showed up the first game he played, he looked pretty incredible in that game, too,” McCaffrey said. “He’s never gotten enough credit. When I look at his resume and how well he’s done his entire career, he’s a special football player. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league and somebody who can make a play on any given play.”

Amid the 49ers’ six-game win streak, Purdy has thrown 16 touchdown passes (11 in the past three games) while McCaffrey has run for six touchdowns. Purdy has also run for three scores, igniting a “Dougie” celebration dance.

“He’s grown in the sense he might be a little more comfortable dancing and all that stuff,” McCaffrey added. “But he’s always played with that swagger and energy, and we feed off it.”

Defensive aftermath

The 49ers’ defense failed to protect four leads Sunday night but ultimately kept the Bears out of the end zone on the final play, which fell incomplete after Gross-Matos pressured Caleb Williams.

“Obviously we don’t want to give up that many points against anybody, but we’re two great teams, we’re both 11-4 and we knew there was a lot on the line. They made plays, we made plays,” linebacker Tatum Bethune said. “The goal at the end of the day is to get a win and that’s what we did.”

Bethune clarified a postgame comment and said he had the option of either blitzing or dropping into coverage on Sunday night’s last play and that he didn’t go rogue, which Shanahan acknowledged as well.

Health updates

Kittle moved around well in Tuesday’s warmups for the light workout, though only the first five minutes was open to the media.

After Trent Williams missed all but the first snap Sunday night because of a hamstring strain, his availability this week is in doubt, although Shanahan said: “We’re giving it a shot for this week, so we’ll see.”

Cornerback Renardo Green (neck) was cleared to practice in full after missing the past two games.

Cornerback Upton Stout wore a no-contact jersey in practice as he works through concussion protocol, after missing the final series Sunday night.

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