San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey set a new NFL record with his three-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter of Monday night’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.
With the touchdown, McCaffrey became the first player in NFL history to score a touchdown in 16 straight games, including the postseason.
McCaffrey’s streak began in San Francisco’s 31-14 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8 of the 2022 season. He recorded a rushing touchdown and receiving touchdown in just his second game with the Niners, and hasn’t stopped scoring since.
49ers star Christian McCaffrey is into the end zone, and into the NFL record books. This marks the 16th straight game where McCaffrey scored a touchdown, breaking the record held by multiple players.🤯pic.twitter.com/PuOkmJPF44
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) October 24, 2023
The two players who were previously tied for the record with 15 straight games are hall-of-fame fullback John Riggins and hall-of-fame running back OJ Simpson. One spot down with a touchdown in 14 straight games was hall-of-fame running back Emmitt Smith, so McCaffrey is certainly in some elite company.
After spending his first five-plus seasons with the Carolina Panthers, McCaffrey was traded to the 49ers for a handful of non-first-round picks. The Panthers later traded their 2023 and 2024 first-round picks to the Chicago Bears to select quarterback Bryce Young first overall.
Drafted eighth overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, McCaffrey has certainly lived up to his draft position. He was named a First Team All-Pro in 2018 and has made four Pro Bowls. Additionally, McCaffrey holds the single-season record for receptions by a running back after catching 116 passes in 2019.
