Christian McCaffrey has changed the 49ers’ game since the star running back was traded to San Francisco midway through the 2022 NFL season.
That trend continued Sunday at SoFi Stadium as the 49ers earned a tough 30-23 victory over the Los Angeles Rams – their 12th straight regular-season win, dating back to last season. This is the second-longest such streak in franchise history, and it all started when McCaffrey became their starter.
The All-Pro contributed to Sunday’s win with 20 carries for 116 rushing yards and a touchdown (and a very mean stiff arm), but that’s not the end of the powerful stats. Here are six more ways McCaffrey asserted his dominance on Sunday, helping the 49ers to a 2-0 record and making a piece of history in the process:
- McCaffrey has 40 rushing touchdowns and 22 touchdown receptions since entering the NFL in 2017, joining Neal Anderson (47 rushing, 20 receiving) as the fifth player in the Super Bowl era with at least 40 rushing touchdowns and 20 touchdown receptions his first seven seasons), Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk (67 rushing, 22 receiving), Chuck Foreman (52 rushing, 23 receiving) and Alvin Kamara (49 rushing, 22 receiving).
- With 116 rushing yards against the Rams, McCaffrey recorded 100 or more rushing yards in consecutive games for the sixth time in his career. His 152 rushing yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 and his 116 rushing yards against Los Angeles mark the second time he has achieved this feat as a member of the 49ers.
- McCaffrey is the first NFL RB to rush for 100 or more yards in Weeks 1 and 2 since New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley accomplished the feat in 2019.
- McCaffrey’s 268 rushing yards in Weeks 1 and 2 are the second-most by a 49ers RB in the first two weeks of the season (RB Garrison Hearst – 325 rushing yards in Weeks 1-2 in 1998).
- McCaffrey’s rushing touchdown against the Rams was his second of the season and the 40th of his career. It was also McCaffrey’s eighth consecutive regular season game with one or more TDs, marking the longest streak of his career and the most consecutive games with one or more TDs by a 49ers player since RB Raheem Mostert [8 games (Week 12, 2019 – Week 2, 2020)].
- Including the playoffs, McCaffrey has scored one or more touchdowns in 11 consecutive games, which is the longest active streak of any NFL player and the second-longest streak by a member of the 49ers [WR Jerry Rice, 1987 – 12 consecutive games with one or more TDs (Week 1-16)].
After spending an entire offseason studying and learning coach Kyle Shanahan’s playbook, it’s clear that McCaffrey’s success in 2022 wasn’t just a fluke after the first two games of his first full season in a 49ers uniform.
And with the 49ers desperate to bring an all-time-high sixth Super Bowl win back to the Bay, the 49ers are certainly hoping McCaffrey’s greatness continues.
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