Amid the jubilation of defeating the Detroit Lions to advance to Super Bowl LVIII, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was already thinking of the bigger picture, and he was quick to remind his teammates and fans about it.
“We got one more, ” McCaffrey said when speaking to Michael Strahan after the 49ers’ 34-31 win over the Lions in the NFC Championship game, courtesy of Coach Yac on X (formerly Twitter.)
It almost didn’t happen though, with the 49ers coming out flat and falling into deficits of 14-0 and 24-7. But McCaffrey and the offense exploded in the second half, scoring 17 points in the third quarter and completing the comeback with a 10-point final frame.
McCaffrey. who had just 29 rushing yards in the first half, ripped off 61 yards on the ground in the second half. He finished the game with 90 yards on 20 carries, and added 42 receiving yards on four catches. He also found the end zone on the ground twice.
49ers got McCaffrey for this moment
Acquired via a trade with the Carolina Panthers during the 2022 season, McCaffrey has been as advertised as a versatile weapon that wears several different hats in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
His first season ended in heartbreak, as the 49ers were beset by injuries at quarterback and fell to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC title game. It looked as if San Francisco was going to lose its third consecutive championship game before flipping the script on Dan Campbell’s Lions.
The 49ers went out and got McCaffrey to be a difference-maker and help the team realize its Super Bowl aspirations. So far, he’s held up his end of the bargain.
