Christian McCaffrey and the San Francisco 49ers have been red-hot to start the 2023 NFL season by winning each of their first four games with relative ease. But if there was any doubt about whether they’re completely legitimate, that doubt was erased on Sunday night.
The Niners not only defeated the Dallas Cowboys, another team considered arguably a legitimate Super Bowl contender, on Sunday — they completely demolished the Cowboys. They reeled off the first 14 points of the game and never looked back, as they put a big hurt on Dallas with a 42-10 victory.
It was a team victory all the way for San Francisco. Star tight end George Kittle, who had been quiet so far this season, led the passing game with 67 yards and three touchdowns while emerging star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk added 58 yards. Quarterback Brock Purdy continued to push back on the narrative that his success thus far in the pros has been fool’s good, as he completed 17 of 24 passes for 252 yards and four touchdowns.
Running back Christian McCaffrey had an underwhelming game with 51 yards on 19 carries, but he did score a touchdown late in the second quarter. It was the 14th consecutive game in which he has scored a touchdown, which tied him with Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith for the fourth-longest streak in NFL history.
San Diego Chargers legend LaDainian Tomlinson holds the record for the most consecutive contests with at least one touchdown at 18. He achieved this mark during the 2004 and 2005 seasons when he was on an absolute rampage during his prime.
The Baltimore Colts’ Lenny Moore also scored a touchdown in 18 straight games from 1963 to 1965, but he missed several games during his streak.
When McCaffrey came to the Niners nearly a year ago, he transformed them from a mediocre and stagnant offensive team to one that is very dynamic and multi-faceted. The suspicion is growing that they will end up holding the Vince Lombardi Trophy this winter at the conclusion of Super Bowl LVIII.
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