Running back Christian McCaffrey couldn’t help the 49ers to a win in his debut with the team last week, but he certainly did all he could to get them a victory this Sunday.
McCaffrey became the first player since 2005 to throw, catch and run for a touchdown in the same game and the 49ers beat the Rams 31-14 at SoFi Stadium. McCaffrey picked up 149 yards from scrimmage to go with his 34 passing yards and the performance made a great impression on his new teammates.
“Man, I’m happy he’s on our side,” Warner said, via 49ersWebzone.com.
McCaffrey’s touchdown catch was a leaping grab of a nine-yard pass from Jimmy Garoppolo. McCaffrey was initially a check down on the play, but broke toward the end zone as Garoppolo tried to find an open receiver and then came down with the ball in front of tight end George Kittle.
“The catch was pretty filthy, too, in the back of the end zone,” Kittle said. “He’s a hell of a football player. One of my favorite things about him so far ... being next to him in the locker room, seeing the work that he puts in, the time that he spends with the coaches, trying to figure out our offense . . . he put in so much time in just one week. You really appreciate that because you can tell how great he wants to be. I think it just kind of pushes us all a little bit more, too.”
The 49ers were shorthanded on offense Sunday with wide receiver Deebo Samuel out, but McCaffrey’s effort made up for what was missing.
