With a 31-point lead late in Sunday's showdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan made a somewhat controversial decision to keep his star running back, Christian McCaffrey, in the game. It was a decision that meant a lot to McCaffrey.
Realizing that the veteran running back had not yet scored, McCaffrey re-entered the Week 10 contest, even as other starters observed from the sidelines. The goal was to secure McCaffrey's 18th consecutive game (including playoffs) with at least one touchdown, breaking an almost 60-year-old NFL record held by former Baltimore Colts running back Lenny Moore.
"That meant a lot to me," McCaffrey said of Shanahan's efforts to get him the record. "That's pretty cool of your coach to do that, so I know I was very appreciative. He didn't have to do that. A lot of people would probably tell him not to, but the fact that he did means a whole lot to me. So I appreciate him a lot for that."
While the record would have been appreciated, McCaffrey acknowledges that individual accolades are less important than the ultimate goal of winning a championship.
"The middle of the season, you're just preparing each week the same exact way, whether or not there's all that," McCaffrey shared. "The individual statistics stuff, I think you kind of focus on at the end of the year and appreciate it for what it is. But obviously, winning is the most important thing."
Reflecting on being tied with Moore for the record of 17 consecutive games with at least one touchdown, McCaffrey said, "It meant a lot. I think that was a huge honor for me because I had gone back and looked at all of his, not just his statistics, but the film, and he's a special player, a special back, somebody who did a lot off the field as well. And just to have my name mentioned with his name means a lot to me because he's a legend, obviously wears a gold jacket. So yeah, that's an honor."
The 49ers snapped a three-game losing streak with the victory against the Jaguars and hope to establish a new winning streak (they started the season 5-0) at Levi's Stadium on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.