Niners Nation
When you’re rehabbing, it’s not often you get a chance to throw the pads on. That was the case for 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey
During the pre-game broadcast, the announcers spoke about how San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan wanted Christian McCaffrey to be healthy in the long run and couldn’t overuse his star running back against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Shanahan indeed came into Sunday with a plan to cap McCaffrey’s touches. CMC ended up with 13 carries and six targets on the afternoon. That would’ve been among the lowest usage rates for McCaffrey in 2023. Mission accomplished, Kyle.
McCaffrey played 54 of the 61 offensive snaps, a promising sign for his conditioning. In one game, McCaffrey tied Jordan Mason for the longest play from scrimmage for a running back this season with his 30-yard reception. That was the missing element the 2023 Offensive Player brings to the 49ers offense.
His teammates noticed. After the game, Brock Purdy called McCaffrey “awesome” and spoke about why it’s important to have McCaffrey on the field:
“Defenses have to scheme that up. They have to acknowledge him, which can open up some other guys. More than anything, just seeing how gritty and tough he is, we get behind him. He inspires us and keeps us going, and lights that fire in the huddle. It’s huge having him in there.”
McCaffrey is 18 yards behind Mason to match his season total in receiving yards. His third-down reception in the red zone was the first time this season that a running back caught a pass that resulted in a first down in the scoring zone for the Niners.
McCaffrey’s journey has been a long one. According to him, he was just happy to be out there:
“That was a long journey and a lot of long days, so it feels good to win, and it feels good to just play in a football game again.
That’s the third time I’ve had pads on in eight weeks, so just getting back into the groove. That was really good for me to do. I feel pretty good. I thought I was going to be a lot more sore, but we’ll see how I feel Monday.”
It was an emotional win for the 49ers, as they’re back on the right side of .500. Despite everything he’s been through, McCaffrey explained why he remains even-keeled:
“I try to stay even-keeled, and obviously, there’s a lot of emotion when you play an NFL football game. So, I just try to let those come naturally. When you miss time due to something like that, nobody wants to be on the field more than me. Just to be out there again, to be honest with you, you realize how much of a privilege it is to play football.”
That type of mindset is why Purdy said McCaffrey inspires the team.
