49ers’ McCaffrey finds yardage tougher to gain even as touchdown streak continues

The hub of 49ers’ attack, Christian McCaffrey averaging 3.1 yards per carry in last three with Bengals up next

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Christian McCaffrey continues to score touchdowns, but yardage has been difficult to come by recently, right up until the point where he crosses the goal line.

When the 49ers play the Cincinnati Bengals at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday, McCaffrey can tie an NFL record set by Lenny Moore of the Baltimore Colts in 1963-64 by scoring a touchdown in his 17th consecutive game.

Rather than jeopardize the streak, McCaffrey avoids the subject like a defender.

“We’ve just got to keep it going,” McCaffrey said on Thursday. “I try not to bring it up. “Keep it going.”

Since Moore’s streak included a recovered fumble from a teammate in the end zone, McCaffrey has already surpassed Hall of Famers O.J. Simpson and John Riggins in terms of touchdowns from scrimmage (rushing or receiving).

McCaffrey’s streak includes touchdowns in all three of the 49ers’ playoff games last year.

McCaffrey has 11 touchdowns this season, tied with former 49er Raheem Mostert of Miami, with eight on runs and three on receptions — one of each in the 49ers’ 22-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

McCaffrey has 71 touchdowns (46 rushing, 25 receiving) in 82 games with the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers. He had 31 touchdowns in three seasons at Stanford and 141 touchdowns in four years at Valor Christian High in Colorado, a state record.

That’s 243 touchdowns across three levels, not including youth football. Coach Kyle Shanahan, with a sly grin, is willing to accept some of the blame.

“It’s really good coaching,” Shanahan joked. “He’s incredible at it.” I believe he’s done it since I heard about it as a kid in Denver, through college, and on whatever team he’s been on. He understands how to get to the end zone.”

McCaffrey was more concerned with the touchdown streak that ended in Minnesota than with the one that didn’t. A fumble at the Minnesota 11-yard line on the first possession kept the 49ers from getting off to a good start on the road, and McCaffrey spoke to reporters with an angry tone afterward.

“I made a bad mistake today that I believe cost us the game,” said McCaffrey.

Former Stanford coach David Shaw recalls the same edge when recruiting McCaffrey at Valor Christian. Despite his obvious skill set, Shaw was struck by how angry McCaffrey became when he was tackled — even on routine plays.

The rage over the blunder has subsided, but so has the desire to make things right by going through the process.

“I think whenever you lose, you’re pretty upset,” McCaffrey explained. “But this league is really 17 one-week seasons and you’ve got to get back to the drawing board and fix your mistakes and capitalize on your strengths and execute on Sunday.”

Regardless of whether Brock Purdy or Sam Darnold starts at quarterback against Cincinnati, the 49ers should get McCaffrey involved in the running game, whether he reaches the end zone or not.

During the first four games, teammates were impressed by McCaffrey’s performance as a bruising runner rather than a receiving back, breaking tackles and sometimes hurdling them to keep the 49ers in good down-and-distance situations.

McCaffrey started the game against Pittsburgh with 152 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown, including a 65-yard touchdown run. He added 116 yards against the Rams in Week 2, 85 yards against the New York Giants, and 106 yards on 20 carries with three rushing touchdowns (plus a receiving touchdown) against Arizona.

The Cowboys loaded up on McCaffrey in Week 5’s 40-12 signature win over the 49ers, holding him to 51 yards on 19 carries. In doing so, they gave up other things and paid the price.

Despite this, McCaffrey was still stuck in the mud after the Dallas game. McCaffrey has 139 yards on 45 carries and a 3.1 average in the last three games after gaining 459 yards on 80 carries and averaging 5.7 yards per carry in the first four games.

Clearly, Weeks 1–4 gave opponents notice that McCaffrey was doing more damage on the run than ever before, rather than as a combination threat. Six different players have been fined for hits on McCaffrey, partly because he’s a target and partly because defenders know he often won’t go down.

“Shoot, the first play of the Dallas game, they try to rip his head off,” said Chris Foerster, line coach and run game coordinator. “There’s this feeling of ‘We’re not going to let this guy run.'”

However, the 49ers’ mindset and philosophy is that success with the run means doing it even when defenses are loading the box to stop them.

“We haven’t given him the lanes that he needs,” Foerster explained. “It just hasn’t been there the last couple of games.” You create that space by better blocking for him… it’s not something they’re doing. He’s not doing anything. We’re just not as productive as we have been in the last few games, and that applies to all areas.”

McCaffrey appears to be optimistic that the lanes will reopen soon. McCaffrey believes the 49ers and Shanahan’s system have taken him to a new level in the year since he arrived for a cache of draft picks on Oct. 20.

“I’ve had a lot of different coaches in my career and I’ve learned a lot,” McCaffrey said in an interview. “It’s amazing to be here and see how and why they do things. Every day I feel like a kid in a candy store learning new ways to run the ball, which is the purpose of many routes in the pass game.”

Shanahan described McCaffrey’s presence as “like being a kid in a candy store.”

“What’s so special about Christian, and you don’t know it until you get him, is he works so hard and he’s such an over-achiever,” he said. “Everyone has gym rats.” In college, I’d probably describe myself that way because I’m trying to be someone I’m not.

“You’ve got a guy like that who’s also one of the league’s most talented players.” That’s the whole shebang.”