After six weeks, Christian McCaffrey sits atop the San Francisco 49ers’ touchdown chart.
Even with a lighter workload, the running back has already punched in seven rushing scores, putting him ahead of everyone else on the roster. A lot of those finishes have come in the tight space near the goal line, usually from two to five yards out.
That approach makes sense. San Francisco wants him fresh for those short-yardage chances, and McCaffrey has kept rewarding that trust by forcing his way into the end zone.
He added two more rushing touchdowns in Week 6, helping the 49ers edge the Washington Commanders 23-17. The game was tighter than San Francisco wanted after a strong start, but the result still went in the win column.
This week carries extra meaning for McCaffrey, too, because it marks four years since San Francisco traded for him. Since then, he has scored 55 total touchdowns in 54 games, good for ninth on the franchise’s all-time list.
The two scores against Washington pushed his 49ers rushing touchdown total to 37, which moves him up to fifth on the franchise leaderboard.
- Christian McCaffrey (37 - Tied with J.D. Smith and Steve Young)
And he may not stay there long. With the way he continues to matter in this offense, McCaffrey could eventually pass Roger Craig before his career is over, even if his explosiveness has dipped a bit.
What he does beyond scoring is just as important. McCaffrey now has 34 games with at least 100 yards from scrimmage for San Francisco, which ranks fourth in team history behind Jerry Rice (70), Gore (66) and Craig (50).
He also turned in 64 rushing yards and 53 receiving yards against Washington, giving him the 39th game of his career with at least 50 yards on the ground and 50 through the air. That leaves him second in NFL history, just two games shy of Marshall Faulk’s record of 41. He is also two games behind Craig for the franchise mark.
At this point, it is getting harder to picture McCaffrey finishing his career without a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His value as both a runner and receiver sets him apart, and reaching this much franchise territory only four years into his 49ers tenure makes the achievement even more striking.
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