CMC breaks NFL record previously held by 49ers great Roger Craig
CMC breaks NFL record previously held by 49ers great Roger Craig originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
A week after falling short of breaking the NFL record for consecutive games with a touchdown, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey found another way to etch his name in the history books against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Levi's Stadium.
With a 2-yard catch late in the first half, McCaffrey recorded the 484th reception of his NFL career, surpassing 49ers great Roger Craig for the most receptions by a running back through their first seven seasons in NFL history.
This wasn't the first time McCaffrey's stellar play has landed him in rarified air with Craig, as both of the dynamic backs stand alone with Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk as the only running backs in NFL history to register 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season.
McCaffrey wasted no time adding to his impressive 2023 season totals, extending his league-leading tally for receiving touchdowns among running backs with his fifth score through the air after connecting with Brock Purdy on a 4-yard touchdown late in the first quarter of Sunday's matchup with Tampa Bay.
The 49ers' superstar running back has paced the position with a league-high 339 receiving yards entering Week 11 while also leading the NFL in rushing yards with 747 entering Sunday's game.
If McCaffrey can maintain this torrid pace for the remainder of the 2023 NFL season, he can become the first running back to lead the position in rushing and receiving yards since 2010, when former Houston Texans star Arian Foster accomplished that feat with 1,616 rushing yards and 604 receiving yards.
McCaffrey has put up Hall-of-Fame-worthy numbers since being acquired by the 49ers before the 2022 NFL trade deadline, logging over 2,000 all-purpose yards and 24 touchdowns in 21 appearances for San Francisco.
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