The San Francisco 49ers returned to form in Week 9 with a 34–24 win over the New York Giants, and running back Christian McCaffrey was again at the center of it all. The veteran star not only carried San Francisco to their sixth win of the year but also made NFL history.
McCaffrey totaled 173 yards from scrimmage, including 106 rushing yards on 28 carries and 67 receiving yards on five catches, while finding the end zone twice, once through the air and once on the ground. His 5-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Mac Jones in the first quarter tied the game early, and his short 3-yard burst into the end zone late in the fourth quarter finished off New York.
The game was the 16th time in McCaffrey’s career that he recorded both a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same contest, breaking Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk’s long-standing NFL record of 15 such games (h/t ESPN’s Nick Wagoner).
The record places McCaffrey alone atop a list that includes some of the league’s greatest dual-threat backs. Behind him are Faulk (15), Lenny Moore, Brian Westbrook, and Alvin Kamara (12 each).
McCaffrey entered the week ranked second in the NFL in receptions (56) and ninth in receiving yards (559), while sitting 13th in rushing yards (490). After Sunday’s game, his season totals climbed to 596 rushing yards and 626 receiving yards, making him just the third player in NFL history, and only the second in 49ers franchise history, to surpass 500 yards in both rushing and receiving through the first nine games of a season. The exclusive group also includes 49ers legend Roger Craig (1985) and Saquon Barkley (2018).
McCaffrey’s total output pushed his yards from scrimmage to 1,222, overtaking Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (1,113) for the league lead entering Week 10. In doing so, he reaffirmed his place as one of the NFL’s premier all-purpose threats.
Now in his ninth NFL season, McCaffrey has surpassed 12,000 career scrimmage yards, becoming the seventh-fastest player in league history to reach that mark, doing so in just 104 games.
The victory also improved the 49ers to 6–3, keeping them in first place in the NFC West and bouncing back from a disappointing 26-15 loss to the Houston Texans the previous week. San Francisco’s offense leaned heavily on the ground game after posting a season-low 10 rushing attempts in Week 8, running the ball 39 times for 159 yards against the Giants.
