Christian McCaffrey has made a habit of rewriting NFL history since the Carolina Panthers made him the eighth overall pick in the 2017 draft, and the 29-year-old did so yet again on Sunday afternoon in the San Francisco 49ers' emphatic 34-24 victory over the New York Giants.
Coming off one of his worst performances in recent memory during the Niners' Week 8 loss to the Houston Texans, a defeat in which he was held to just 25 rushing yards, his lowest single-game total since 2018, and a season-low 43 receiving yards on a campaign-worst three receptions, McCaffrey bounced back beautifully against Big Blue.
As a rusher, the three-time Pro Bowler hit triple digits for the second time in three games, gaining 106 yards on 28 carries, including a 3-yard touchdown. And as a receiver, CMC led the Niners with five receptions for a game-high 67 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown catch.
With the pair of touchdowns, McCaffrey now has 16 regular-season games in which he's recorded at least one rushing score and one receiving score, thus breaking himself out of a tie for the most such games in NFL history with Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk, who tallied 15 during his 12-year career with the Colts and Rams.
McCaffrey tied Faulk's record during his Offensive Player of the Year campaign in 2023, recording one rushing touchdown and two receiving scores in the 49ers' Week 15 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
It's certainly worth noting that every other league record McCaffrey owns outright or shares with another player is tied to his status as a dual-threat back. Take a look.
- First rookie running back with 70 receptions and five receiving touchdowns
- Most receptions by a running back in a single season (116)
- Only running back to have two seasons with 100 or more receptions
- First player to record over 1,000 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in the first 10 games of a season
- First player with 50 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards in five consecutive games
- Most receptions by a running back in his first three seasons (303)
- Only the second running back with 2,000-plus receiving yards in his first 42 games (Herschel Walker)
- Only the second player with at least 20 rushing TDs and at least 15 receiving TDs through their first three seasons (Chuck Foreman)
- Only the third player with at least 50 rushing TDs and at least 30 receiving TDs in a career (Lenny Moore, Marshall Faulk)
- Only the third player to record 1,000 rush yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season (Roger Craig, Marshall Faulk)
See what I mean?
As far as that last one on the list goes, McCaffrey, who tallied 1,387 rushing yards and 1,005 receiving yards for the Panthers in 2019, is currently on pace to become the first two-time member of the 1k/1k club. So, more CMC history could certainly be on the way.