This 49ers Star Ends Long Touchdown Drought With First Since 2023

Christian McCaffrey is back.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

It feels hard to believe that Christian McCaffrey's last touchdown was in the 2023 Super Bowl. That was 578 days ago.

It's been a long time coming, but that highlight in the 26-21 Week 2 win over the New Orleans Saints should now be an exception, not a rarity.

McCaffrey's touchdown made history

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

McCaffrey's touchdown before the interval was a historic moment. He became only the third player in NFL history to record 50 career rushing touchdowns and 30 career receiving touchdowns, joining Hall of Famers Marshall Faulk and Lenny Moore.

Given his struggles last season with bilateral Achilles tendinitis and a torn knee ligament, his performance in the first two games have been nothing short of impressive.

In Week 2, a combined 6 receptions for 52 receiving yards and 13 carries for 55 rushing yards make for a decent performance. You'd imagine there is more in the tank.

"I'd love to get there [the end zone] a lot more," McCaffrey admitted. "But no, I'm just so happy to be playing on this team and feeling good. We'll continue to get better and grow and get ready for next week."

It's way too early to tell whether he can replicate his Offensive Player of the Year campaign, when he was scoring touchdowns for fun. Still, these performances are encouraging to see all the same.

McCaffrey credits team for 'awesome' win

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Posting a touchdown is obviously important, but few things are more satisfying than completing a quick drive before halftime and carrying that momentum into the third quarter.

McCaffrey credited the composure of the new additions, as some veterans were out.

"That was a huge drive," McCaffrey reflected post-game. "Our offense is complicated, and the two-minute can be complicated, too, so for new guys all over the field to come in and execute that way, that was really cool.

"And I'll have to go back and look at the tape because sometimes you forget what new guys were in there. But a guy like Kendrick Bourne, who just recently got here, obviously, Mac stepping up on the first play. We had a new guy at left guard, new guys all over the field, who, when they come in, you can execute, that's rare. That doesn't happen everywhere.

"It's an awesome win. Anytime you get a win in the NFL, it's awesome. We were obviously down a lot of guys, had some adversity come up, but offense, defense, special teams, to close that game out the way we did was awesome.

"I think there's obviously always room for improvement, but overall, the win column, being 2-0 right now, is awesome, so heading back on that plane will feel much better."