The 49ers knew acquiring Christian McCaffrey back in 2022 would help improve the team's offense. It's possible he's done even more than expected since last October's trade.
Since Week 7 of the 2022 campaign, coming into Week 7 of 2023, no one had more total touchdowns from scrimmage than McCaffrey's 19. No one had more yards from scrimmage than McCaffrey's 1,940. Only Derrick Henry (1,427) and Josh Jacobs (1,332) had more rushing yards than McCaffrey's 1,299.
What has been particularly remarkable about McCaffrey joining San Francisco has been his consistency. The 49ers' offense has been able to count on him scoring at least one touchdown in each game he plays. And after scoring on in Week 8 against the Bengals, he added another to his impressive tally.
In the final two games of November 2022, McCaffrey was kept out of the end zone. Since then, he has scored at least one touchdown in each game, including the postseason. That streak of consecutive touchdowns has put him at 17 straight, which puts him in rare air.
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Christian McCaffrey touchdown streak
Back on Dec. 4, 2022, against the Dolphins, McCaffrey caught a touchdown, his fourth touchdown from scrimmage since he joined the team (his fifth including a passing score). Every team he's faced since has allowed him into the end zone at least once.
McCaffrey has run up a streak of 17 consecutive games with a touchdown from scrimmage, which are only rushing or receiving touchdowns. He notched his record-setting 16th with a rushing score against the Vikings on "Monday Night Football" and added to it against the Bengals. That streak saw him pass the previous NFL record for consecutive games with a touchdown, according to Stathead, which was held jointly by Washington running back John Riggins (Jan. 15, 1983-Nov. 27, 1983) and Bills running back O.J. Simpson (Dec. 22, 1974-Dec. 20, 1975). These streaks include playoff games.
The other names on the list with at least 12 straight games with a touchdown are an impressive group of names:
| Player | Team | Streak timeline | Streak | Touchdowns total |
| Christian McCaffrey | 49ers | Dec. 4, 2022-present | 17 | 21 |
| John Riggins | Redskins | Jan. 15, 1983-Nov. 27, 1983 | 15 | 25 |
| O.J. Simpson | Bills | Dec. 22, 1974-Dec. 20, 1975 | 15 | 24 |
| Emmitt Smith | Cowboys | Oct. 8, 1995-Jan. 28, 1996 | 14 | 22 |
| Arian Foster | Texans | Dec. 18, 2011-Dec. 11, 2012 | 13 | 17 |
| Emmitt Smith | Cowboys | Nov. 7, 1994-Sept. 24, 1995 | 13 | 25 |
| George Rogers | Redskins | Nov. 24, 1985-Nov. 2, 1986 | 13 | 18 |
| LaDainian Tomlinson | Chargers | Oct. 3, 2004-Dec. 26, 2004 | 12 | 16 |
| Jerry Rice | 49ers | Sept. 13, 1987-Dec. 27, 1987 | 12 | 23 |
When it comes to regular season streaks, McCaffrey still has some work to do to reach the record there. His run of 13 straight regular-season games currently ranks as tied for the third-longest streak in NFL history. Tomlinson holds the record with 18 from Oct. 3, 2004, to Oct. 16, 2005, during which time he scored 27 touchdowns.
| Player | Team | Streak timeline | Streak | Touchdowns total |
| LaDainian Tomlinson | Chargers | Oct. 3, 2004-Oct. 16, 2005 | 18 | 27 |
| Christian McCaffrey | 49ers | Dec. 4, 2022-present | 14 | 18 |
| O.J. Simpson | Bills | Sept. 21, 1975-Dec. 20, 1975 | 14 | 23 |
| Todd Gurley | Rams | Dec. 10, 2017-Nov. 11, 2018 | 13 | 25 |
| Jerry Rice | 49ers | Dec. 19, 1986-Dec. 27, 1987 | 13 | 24 |
| George Rogers | Redskins | Nov. 24, 1985-Nov. 2, 1986 | 13 | 18 |
| John Riggins | Redskins | Dec. 26, 1982-Nov. 27, 1983 | 13 | 22 |
McCaffrey moved into the top two on Sunday, matched with Simpson with 14 straight regular-season contests with a touchdown.