Christian McCaffrey’s 2023 season now stands alone in San Francisco 49ers history. With his goal-line touchdown in the second quarter of the NFC Championship against the Detroit Lions, the All-Pro running back broke the franchise record for most total touchdowns in a single season including playoffs. This latest score was the 24th total touchdown McCaffrey has scored this year, breaking his tie for the record with Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice.
McCaffrey’s touchdown was critical for San Francisco as they look to win the conference and reach Super Bowl LVIII. To begin the game, the Lions had jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Before the touchdown, McCaffrey put the Niners within striking distance, thanks to a 28-yard catch and run that brought the offense inside the red zone for the first time in the game. Two plays later, he barreled into the end zone and the record books.
As you might expect, Rice is all across this specific record for the 49ers. His 23-touchdown season came back in 1987, but also held second and third place in this category with his 22 touchdowns in 1989 and 19 touchdowns in 1994.
This season, McCaffrey tied the NFL record for most consecutive games with a touchdown with 17, knotting himself with Hall of Famer Lenny Moore. The 27-year-old finished the 2023 regular season with a league-leading 2,023 yards from scrimmage and 21 total touchdowns. He’s also coming off the 49ers’ divisional-round win over the Packers where he totaled 128 yards from scrimmage and two rushing touchdowns.
