When will McCaffrey return to 49ers? No one knows, but it’s headed in the wrong direction

SANTA CLARA — There are plenty of reasons to be concerned about the 49ers in the wake of a 1-2 start even if many of their issues are self-inflicted and remain correctable with 14 games remaining.

Yet a leaky defense, poor special teams play and myriad injuries don’t come close to the biggest reason to be worried about a franchise looking to reach its fourth straight NFC Championship Game with an eye toward a long-awaited sixth Lombardi Trophy.

It’s of some consolation that Deebo...