49ers’ Christian McCaffrey puts up workhorse stats not done since Thurman Thomas in 1991

Billy Heyen

49ers’ Christian McCaffrey puts up workhorse stats not done since Thurman Thomas in 1991 image

It's not long ago that the whole NFL world wasn't sure whether Christian McCaffrey would even play in Week 1.

The San Francisco 49ers' star running back had an injury pop up late in the preseason, and it reminded many of the injury-plagued 2024 season he had.

Turns out, McCaffrey must've been just fine.

The latest proof of that is a workload record he just reached that hadn't been done since 1991.

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CMC is the first player to have 50 rushing attempts and 25 catches through three weeks since Buffalo Bills great Thurman Thomas did it in his MVP season more than 30 years ago, per NFL.com.

The 49ers have needed McCaffrey, because his injury bug is now all over the rest of the team.

QB Brock Purdy is out. Star tight end George Kittle is out. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings just missed Week 3.

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Almost worse, the 49ers nearly lost to the Cardinals on Sunday thanks to a safety that came on a holding in the end zone to break a tie. Eddy Pineiro saved the day with a late field goal.

But at least they have McCaffrey. With him, they have a chance to win any game.

Last season, it was clear how much they missed him, as they went 6-11 while McCaffrey sat out the majority of the campaign.

This time around, they've got to use McCaffrey for all he's worth, and so far, he's holding up.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle