The 49ers stunned the NFL world when they completed a trade for Christian McCaffrey late Thursday.
San Francisco sent four draft picks to the Panthers to acquire McCaffrey. It was expected that the star running back would provide a big upgrade to their offense once he was able to play.
Despite the short turnaround, McCaffrey was able to play in the 49ers’ Week 7 game against the Chiefs. It wasn’t known exactly how much he would play, but fans got a look at him in red and gold for the first time.
CHRISTIAN McCAFFREY TRADED TO 49ERS:
And he looked pretty good in his limited action.
Just how did McCaffrey play in his first game with the 49ers? Here’s what to know about his performance.
Christian McCaffrey stats, performance in 49ers debut
McCaffrey wasn’t ready to serve as a full-time lead back, but the 49ers still got him the ball frequently in their 44-23 loss to the Chiefs.
McCaffrey logged a team-high eight carries and generated 38 yards. He also had two catches for 24 yards.
McCaffrey looked good when he was on the field and showed nice burst and vision on his touches. That was apparent on his first carry of the game, which went for 10 yards and a first down.
First carry. First down. @CMC_22
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McCaffrey saw a bit less action as the game went along, which was to be expected. He only had two days to learn San Francisco’s playbook, so the 49ers were limiting his involvement to a specific set of plays. Those plays were used often early and less often as the 49ers trailed.
It’s also not a surprise that McCaffrey was outperformed by Jeff Wilson Jr. (seven carries, 54 yards). Wilson has served as San Francisco’s primary ball carrier since Elijah Mitchell suffered an ankle injury in Week 1 and has been in Kyle Shanahan’s system for five years. McCaffrey has been with the team less than a week.
The 49ers play against the Rams in Week 8 before they get to enjoy a bye in Week 9. McCaffrey will certainly have a bigger role against the Sean McVay-led squad and should be the team’s workhorse by the time their Week 10 tilt with the Chargers arrives.
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