Christian McCaffrey has been named the NFL‘s Offensive Player of the Year, becoming the first San Francisco 49ers player to win the award since Joe Montana in 1989. McCaffrey is the fifth 49ers player to win the award, joining Roger Craig (1988) as the only running backs to win the award.
A First Team All-Pro at running back, McCaffrey had 272 carries for 1,459 yards and 14 touchdowns while also adding 67 catches for 564 yards and seven touchdowns. McCaffrey led the NFL in yards from scrimmage (2,023) and tied for the league lead in scrimmage touchdowns (21), also leading the league in rushing yards.
McCaffrey finished with 25 scrimmage touchdowns this season including playoffs, the most in a season in 49ers history and the most by any player in a season since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006. McCaffrey became just the fourth player to win the rushing title in wire-to-wire fashion since 1970, joining O.J. Simpson (1973, 1975), Walter Payton (1977) and Emmitt Smith (1995).
McCaffrey tied the NFL record for most consecutive games scored with a touchdown (including postseason) with 17, a streak that was snapped in Week 10 of the 2023 season. He led the NFL in 100-yard rushing games (seven), also having a league-high four games with a rushing and receiving touchdown.
Just one of three players to finish with 2,000 yards from scrimmage in a season for two different teams (Eric Dickerson, Marshall Faulk), McCaffrey has 34 touchdowns through his first 30 games with the 49ers. That trails only Gale Sayers for the most touchdowns through 30 games with a team in NFL history (36, including postseason). He has 52 rushing touchdowns and 29 receiving touchdowns in his career, joining Lenny Moore and Marshall Faulk as the only players with 50+ rushing touchdowns and 25+ receiving touchdowns.
McCaffrey has been dominant since going to San Francisco, a major reason why the 49ers are back in the Super Bowl for the first time in five seasons.
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Author: Jeff Kerr
February 8, 2024 | 11:20 pm
