Niners star Christian McCaffrey fails to score a touchdown for the 1st time in 18 games

Niners’ Star Christian McCaffrey Fails to Score a Touchdown for the First Time in 18 Games

Christian McCaffrey found himself on the sideline alongside several other starters, seemingly finished for the day as the San Francisco 49ers dominated the game.

However, a late surge by the 49ers provided an unexpected opportunity for McCaffrey to find the end zone once more, possibly setting a new NFL record in the process.

Coach Kyle Shanahan made the decision to reinsert his star player into the game, despite the lopsided score, with the hope of McCaffrey breaking the NFL record for consecutive games with a touchdown. While it didn’t pan out as intended, it also didn’t result in any adverse consequences.

McCaffrey concluded the game with an impressive total of 142 yards in San Francisco’s commanding 34-3 victory over Jacksonville on Sunday. Nevertheless, his remarkable streak of scoring in 17 consecutive games, including playoff appearances, came to an end. This was his first game without a scoring play since a 13-0 win against New Orleans on Nov. 27, 2022.

McCaffrey had been tied with Lenny Moore for the NFL record, and the Niners made a concerted effort to help him achieve this milestone by giving him the ball or targeting him on five consecutive plays during a 31-point blowout.

Coach Shanahan shared, “Eighteen games in a row is a significant record. If there was a chance to accomplish it, I was determined to make the attempt. Of course, I was apprehensive about the risk of injury. We came close, and I wish we could have achieved it for him. Nonetheless, I believe the accomplishment of 17 consecutive games is still quite significant.”

Surprisingly, the Jaguars, despite their lackluster performance, managed to prevent McCaffrey from scoring on four consecutive attempts from inside the 10-yard line. The last of these was a pass to the front corner of the end zone during a fourth-and-5 play from the 5-yard line.

After the game, Coach Shanahan even took a moment to explain the situation to Jaguars’ coach Doug Pederson at midfield. “As soon as I saw him, I wanted to make sure he understood why we were attempting that,” Shanahan explained. “He was fully aware, and he mentioned they were aware of it too. Hopefully, it didn’t offend him too much.”

Coach Shanahan emphasized that he never doubted his decision, saying, “I always make decisions based on what I believe is best for the team. Sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn’t. But I won’t worry about it until after the game. Then I can address it.”

McCaffrey’s performance saw him carry the ball 16 times for 95 yards and catch six passes for 47 yards. However, he fell short in the scoring department, unlike his teammates George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and Kyle Juszczyk, who all found the end zone.

McCaffrey humorously commented, “Yeah, I had a rough day. Everyone else on the team managed to score except for me. Nevertheless, it means a lot to me that they kept me in the game at the end to pursue that record. But, hey, I’ll take a huge win.”

For the season, McCaffrey now boasts 747 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, along with 339 receiving yards and four scores.

AP NFL: Link to NFL News

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More about touchdown streak

• Christian McCaffrey – NFL player profile.
• NFL Record – Official NFL website for records and statistics.
• San Francisco 49ers – Official website of the San Francisco 49ers.
• Jacksonville Jaguars – Official website of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
• NFL News – The source of the provided article.