On Thursday night, Kyle Shanahan was sitting in his office thinking up the game plan for the 49ers contest against the rival Los Angeles Rams.
There are no secrets between these two organizations, but the Niners added something of a wild card last week when they acquired Christian McCaffrey via trade. Just two weeks ago, the Rams got a first-hand look at CMC in his final game with the Carolina Panthers, so Shanahan wanted to whip up something special for Sean McVay’s defense.
“We were doing the red zone (prep) and I remember yelling down to the (offensive coaches’) rooms, just to see if anybody would answer, ‘Does anybody know if Christian can throw?’” Shanahan said. “Then (tight ends coach) Brian Fleury emailed or sent through text a video of him throwing a (50)-yarder a few years ago. When I saw that, I felt he could throw.”
Shanahan cooked up a double pass that looked like a screen. The Niners repped the play in practice Friday and Shanahan liked McCaffrey’s arm. So in the second quarter of Sunday’s contest, when San Francisco was 34 yards out from the end zone, it was time for the real deal. Shanahan dialed up the double pass and it worked to perfection, as he found Brandon Aiyuk wide open for a touchdown.
“I was fired up,” McCaffrey said once he saw the play call. “B.A. made a great play. That’s a tough catch having to turn like that. I was super happy when he caught it, because that is a tough catch and he made me look good. I was fired up.”
In just his ninth day with his new franchise, the 49ers running back accomplished a rare trifecta: he became the first NFL player since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2005 to throw, receive and rush for a touchdown in the same game. CMC’s massive one-man effort helped the 49ers secure a huge 31-14 win over the rival Los Angeles Rams.
McCaffrey’s two younger brothers used to play quarterback and that was his preferred position until he switched to running back at age 7, so he was eager to show off the arm.
He also accomplished something that Garoppolo hasn’t done the past three seasons – throw a touchdown pass of at least 30 yards.
“That was a dot,” Kittle said of CMC’s pass. “Perfect.”
Considering Deebo Samuel was out with a hamstring injury, McCaffrey’s explosion was well-timed for the shorthanded 49ers defense. Turns out a full week with the 49ers playbook was all McCaffrey needed before getting unleashed, as the Niners claimed their eighth straight regular-season victory over the Rams.
“I think there’s still a lot of meat on the bone that I left out there,” McCaffrey said. “I don’t think anyone has a perfect game.”
For his second act, CMC showed off his hands by making a leaping, third-quarter touchdown grab from seven yards out to put the Niners ahead by 10.
“Just a little bit of backyard football,” McCaffrey said. “The play wasn’t designed to go to me, but what I learned about Jimmy is he’s a football player through and through.”
Garoppolo said that McCaffrey was a safety valve on the play and probably his fifth option when going through his reads. It’s nice to have No. 23 on your side in those situations.
“The throw was all right,” Garoppolo said, smiling. “The catch was a lot better.”
With San Francisco needing some fourth-quarter insurance, McCaffrey took over the game and rumbled for 24 yards to set up his one-yard touchdown run the next play.
McCaffrey finished with 18 rushes for 94 yards, while also catching a team-high eight passes for 55 yards. In the process, McCaffrey joined Tomlinson, Walter Payton and David Patten as the only players in NFL history to get a touchdown passing, receiving and rushing in the same game.
“That’s awesome,” McCaffrey said of his historic day. “But I think the biggest thing is coming out with a win, playing a second half like that, too. I think the thing I’m most happy about is just this whole team welcoming me in with open arms. Especially the running back room, guys like Jeff WIlson and Juice (Kyle Juszczyk). They helped all week learn everything. That means a lot to me. Obviously, those things are cool, but I’m just proud to be a 49er.”
According to FOX Sports’ Erin Andrews, Deebo found 49ers CEO Jed York on the sideline during Sunday’s game and thanked him for the trade. The Niners offense could reach new heights once Deebo returns to the squad after next week’s bye.
“Deebo’s decent still right?” Kittle said. “We have a lot of guys on this offense who can move the ball, get YAC (yards after catch) and have a lot of guys who can get open. … There isn’t a ceiling really. We should go out there and we should be getting a lot of points. That was the biggest difference between last week and this week, we scored touchdowns.”
