Christian McCaffrey has been a game-changer for the 49ers 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 pulled off a gutsy 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams — their 12th straight regular season win dating back to last season. That marks the second-longest streak in franchise history, and it all started when McCaffrey became their starter.
The All-Pro contributed 20 carries for 116 rushing yards and one touchdown (and one very means stiff arm), but that’s not where the powerful stats stop. Here are six other ways McCaffrey asserted his dominance on Sunday, helping the 49ers to a 2-0 record and making history:
- McCaffrey has 40 rushing touchdowns and 22 receiving touchdowns since entering the NFL in 2017 and is the fifth player in the Super Bowl era with at least 40 rushing touchdowns and 20 receiving touchdowns in his first seven seasons, joining Neal Anderson (47 rushing, 20 receiving), 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 registered 100 or more rushing yards in back-to-back games for the sixth time in his career. His 152 rushing yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 and 116 rushing yards against Los Angeles mark the second time he has accomplished the 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 through the first two weeks of a season (RB Garrison Hearst – 325 rushing yards in Weeks 1-2 in 1998).
- McCaffrey’s rushing TD against the Rams marked his second of the season and 40th of his career. It also marked McCaffrey’s eighth consecutive regular season game with one or more TDs, the longest streak of his career and the most consecutive games with one or more TDs by a 49ers RB Raheem Mostert (8 games (Week 12, 2019 – 2nd week 2020)).
- Including the playoffs, McCaffrey has scored one or more TDs in 11 consecutive games, the longest active streak by any NFL player and the second-longest by a 49ers member (WR Jerry Rice, 1987 – 12 consecutive games with one or more TDs (Weeks 1–16)).
With an entire offseason to study and learn coach Kyle Shanahan’s playbook, it’s clear that McCaffrey’s success in 2022 was no fluke after the opening two games of his first full season with the 49ers.
And given the urgency to bring back to the Bay an all-time record sixth Super Bowl victory, the 49ers certainly hope McCaffrey’s greatness endures.
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