The San Francisco 49ers are 7-4 entering Week 12, and will face the 6-5 Carolina Panthers in a huge Monday Night Football matchup. While the 49ers are still a few games out of the NFC West's top spot, a win would put them in great shape to make the playoffs.
Of course, for Christian McCaffrey, this is a huge game. Facing his former team in the Panthers, McCaffrey can further make the Panthers' decision to trade him look worse.
But, as Mike Clay of ESPN notes, this Week 12 49ers vs. Panthers matchup features an incredible coincidence for McCaffrey.
49ers vs. Panthers features an incredible coincidence for Christian McCaffrey
"Christian McCaffrey's 49th game (including playoffs), with the 49ers, will also be his first game facing the Panthers." Clay shared on Twitter/X.
McCaffrey was traded by the Panthers in 2022, and in the four seasons since his trade, he's played in 42 regular-season games and six playoff games. His Week 12 matchup in 2025 against the Panthers will be his 49th with the 49ers.
McCaffrey, playing his 49th game with the 49ers, was always going to be an interesting footnote. But, with the incredible coincidence of this matchup occurring against his former team, it's an even better storyline.
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To add even more drama to this incredible coincidental history, since being traded in 2022, this is the first time that the 49ers and Panthers will play one another with McCaffrey in San Francisco.
In 2022, McCaffrey played in a 49ers vs. Panthers matchup, but he was with Carolina at the time. Only two weeks before being traded to the 49ers, McCaffrey ran for 54 yards and a touchdown with seven receptions for 40 yards in a 37-15 loss.
In 2019, McCaffrey ran for 117 yards and one touchdown with four receptions for 38 yards in a 51-13 loss to the 49ers. Back in Week 1 of his rookie season in Carolina, he ran for 47 yards and caught five passes for 38 yards in a 23-3 win over the 49ers.
Week 12 will be McCaffrey's first game against the Panthers as a member of the 49ers, and it fittingly comes during his 49th game played for San Francisco since his 2022 trade.
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