SANTA CLARA — Scoring in 12 consecutive games has not quenched Christian McCaffrey’s thirst for touchdowns.
“Obviously you want to score every time you touch the ball,” McCaffrey said Thursday, three days before his next chance to do so for the undefeated 49ers (3-0).
McCaffrey’s scoring spree is reaching historic levels. Jerry Rice scored in all 12 games (with 22 touchdown catches) during the strike-shortened 1987 season, and McCaffrey can surpass that stretch Sunday against the visiting Arizona Cardinals (1-2).
McCaffrey called it “a huge honor” to join Rice in that company. The Dallas Cowboys’ Emmitt Smith scored 13 games in a row in 1995, and the Houston Texans’ Arian Foster did the same in 2011-12. McCaffrey has scored a rushing touchdown in each of the 49ers’ wins this season, and his 12-game streak dates back to last December and the playoffs.
It’s not just his scoring that amazes his teammates. Quarterback Brock Purdy raved about how McCaffrey “keeps his motor going,” to turn a 2-yard gain into a 10-yard burst as the 49ers’ “huge difference maker.”
“Not going down after the first hit… he’s doing the dirty work. For us to be able to see that, you want to get behind this guy, feed off it and do what he’s doing,” Purdy added. “He sort of sets the standard and we all follow him.”
On Thursday, the NFL named McCaffrey its NFC Offensive Player of the Month, which was to be expected after he won weekly awards after each of the first two games. He leads the league with 353 rushing yards on 60 carries (second-most behind the Cowboys’ Tony Pollard, who has 62).
“Any time you get individual awards or nods of encouragement, it’s fun,” McCaffrey said, “but the season is so early and we have so much potential.”
The 49ers have not used him much as a receiver yet: 11 receptions, 70 yards, and he just missed his first touchdown catch of the season last game.
Last season against the Cardinals, McCaffrey ran for fewer than 50 yards in each win (39 yards, seven carries on Nov. 21 at Arizona; 45 yards, 10 carries in a Jan. 10 at home).
“The way Christian prepares and what he does at practice, you just see the drive and the hunger and love he has for the game,” Purdy said. “When we’re on the field for games, we know we’re going to get his best. As a quarterback, it feels good to know Christian is going to give the O-line, myself, this team everything he’s got every single run.”
PRACTICE REPORT
Wide receivers Deebo Samuel (ribs, knee) and Jauan Jennings (shin) will be questionable for Sunday’s game, coach Kyle Shanahan said on KNBR 680-AM. Neither Samuel nor Jennings practiced and instead headed into the weight room after the walk-through session; neither appeared hindered when seen later during locker room media access.
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was limited a second straight day but shed his no-contact jersey. The 49ers got two mainstays back into practice: linebacker Dre Greenlaw (ankle) and cornerback Ambry Thomas (knee). They were limited, as was linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (ankle).
Linebacker Josh Woods (ankle) and defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter (finger) did not practice for the Cardinals, who added wide receiver Marquise Brown to their injury list with a thumb issue that limited him.
CB Ambry Thomas also back at practice pic.twitter.com/TnUqvXJHYD
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) September 28, 2023
SCOUTING REPORT
Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, who went 3-13 as the Cardinals’ coach in 2018, complimented the Arizona offense that is coming into Levi’s Stadium.
“When you look at Arizona, it’s a good football team, very good football team,” Wilks said. “After watching their tape, I was impressed with every facet of offense. When they run, they do it well. A lot of respect for (James) Conner. Still running the ball hard. (Joshua) Dobbs hasn’t turned the ball over, and he can put it in the right spot.”
Wilks noted that Cardinals receivers, such as Rondale Moore, are dangerous on jet sweeps. Such motion through the backfield has become more commonplace around the league, thriving not only with the 49ers but also the Miami Dolphins and the Los Angeles Rams.
“Nothing in football is new. We all steal from one another,” Wilks said. “I call it window dressing. (Rams coach Sean) McVay does it all the time. We do a great job here. It creates matchups and gets eyes looking at stuff you shouldn’t be looking at.”
Wilks continues to marvel at the defense he inherited as the 49ers’ first-year coordinator.
“I’ve never been around an elite group like this before. Not just talent but how we work,” Wilks added. “This unit grinds every day, focuses and is on the details. There’s a lot of talent around the league but nobody is a stickler to the details as we are here.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com