Christian McCaffrey, the running back for the San Francisco 49ers, scored two touchdowns on the ground during yesterday’s 31-13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. With those scores, he now has 11 rushing touchdowns and 5 receiving touchdowns for the season.
Despite the fact that McCaffrey’s widely reported touchdown streak was broken versus Jacksonville at 17, his touchdown totals have established him as the clear leader in two significant San Francisco team records.
First off, McCaffrey’s 11 rushing touchdowns in 2023 broke the previous record held by the 49ers for most touchdowns by a player in a single season. Five 49ers players had previously broken five records in a season: Frank Gore (2009), Derek Loville (1995), Ricky Watters (1993), Billy Kilmer (1961), J.D. Smith (1959), and Joe Perry (1953, 1948). He breaks the tie at the top of the record books.
Second, McCaffrey set a new record for the most touchdowns of any 49ers running back with his 16 total. One of the greatest tailbacks in San Francisco history, Roger Craig, had previously set the record in 1985 with 15 total touchdowns. Frank Gore (2009) and Derek Loville (1995), who recorded 13 total points in their respective finest years, trailed him.
The fact that McCaffrey completed his total in just 11 games (12 weeks) is what sets it apart. That many games and weeks in an NFL season wasn’t seen since 1946, two years before Joe “The Jet” Perry’s record-breaking rushing touchdowns. It is very amazing how much McCaffrey has accomplished in such a short amount of time. McCaffrey and the Niners have a chance to improve on a team record that might stand unquestioned for decades with six games left in the 2023 season.
Even still, McCaffrey still has a ways to go before surpassing his own record of 19 touchdowns in a season, which was achieved in 2019. And even at this point, “Run CMC” still has a long way to go before he can break any single-season records; he is now behind LaDainian Tomlinson’s 31 touchdown pass record from 2006. McCaffrey is now on track to finish the season with 24 total points, tying Priest Holmes (2002) and John Riggins (1983) for sixth place all-time. The only others with more recordings are Emmet Smith (25, 1995), Marshall Faulk (26, 2000), Holmes once more (27, 2003), Shaun Alexander (28, 2005), and the previously mentioned Tomlinson.
