49ers Notebook: Christian McCaffrey piling up amazing numbers; Career night for Ji’Ayir Brown; Young defense rises to occasion

While much of the talk after the 49ers' Monday night win over the Carolina Panthers was about the three first-half interceptions thrown by quarterback Brock Purdy, there were also a number of positives to take from the game, starting with the play of the defense.

The 49ers held the Panthers to 12 first downs and 231 total yards, with just three of those first downs coming in the first half when they kept the Panthers in check during Purdy's interceptions. The defense also came up with two clutch takeaways, both of them coming on interceptions by safety Ji'Ayir Brown.

Not surprisingly, there was plenty of praise after the game for defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.

"I thought he did an awesome job," head coach Kyle Shanahan said of Saleh. "The whole D did. Just especially overcoming those three turnovers... it was huge. He did an awesome game plan and the guys played at a high level too."

In this version of 49ers Notebook we'll dive deeper into the performance of Brown and the defense, which also featured an emotional first career start from a longtime 49ers linebacker. But first let's start it off with running back Christian McCaffrey, who is grinding his way to some potentially incredible statistics this season.

Chasing history

It hasn't always been flashy, but Christian McCaffrey is putting together a season that may result in numbers never seen from an NFL player.

McCaffrey is currently leading the NFL in both receptions (81) and rushing attempts (217). Finishing the season atop those categories would be a first, as would notching his second season of over 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards, which he is also on pace to do (McCaffrey has 796 rushing yards and 775 receiving yards with five games left to play).

McCaffrey is a player who in the past was known for producing highlight plays, but this season has been more of a grind, as he's had a lot of touches for mostly short gains. But he doesn't seem to be feeling the effects of such a big workload after coming off an injury-plagued 2024 season.

"I feel great," McCaffrey said Monday. "Physically, I feel good. Again, I work hard. We have a great staff out here, but I say this all the time. God is good, and I feel really blessed to be able to be playing football right now. To have as much of a load as I've had and continue to play, I give all the glory to God."

McCaffrey was a player the 49ers leaned on Monday night, as he finished with 142 yards and one touchdown on 31 total touches (24 carries, seven receptions). Purdy sang McCaffrey's praises after the game, both for what he does on the field and the example he sets for the rest of the team.

"Just the way that he trains and his preparation and understanding what he's about to go through every single game, like that dude is on a routine and on a schedule better than anybody that I know," Purdy said. "So he's able to carry that kind of workload and make the plays out of the backfield as a receiver, and then run the ball hard and fight and scratch and claw for every yard.

"So, we have nothing but the utmost respect for that guy and what he does for our team and, and does it over and over and over again. I mean, obviously the numbers are great, but more than anything, he's a great example for all of us in the locker room."

Expect the 49ers to continue to stuff McCaffrey's stats, and not just because they'd love to see him make some history. He's their go-to guy on offense both as a runner and a receiver, even if he isn't putting up the amount of splash plays he has in the past.

"He really makes our pass game go when things aren't there, just how automatic he is on the checkdowns and stuff underneath allows to stay on the field a lot, and I think he's one of the main reasons we have so many 10-play plus drives," Shanahan said.

Get Ricky in on the action

While most are impressed with the workload McCaffrey has been receiving this year, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall seems to think he can do the same thing if given the chance.

As a matter of fact, he'd love to have it.

"S***, I would love 30 touches a game," Pearsall joked Monday night.

Pearsall said he's up for the grind of getting as many touches as McCaffrey, and that it wouldn't be as difficult as it seems from the outside.

"I don't think it's tough at all, honestly," Pearsall said. "He's a really good football player, and whenever the ball's in his hands or going his way, success happens. So why not keep throwing to him (and handing off)? Yeah, I don't think it's really tough. I think it's actually really fun for him and he probably wants that. So do I."

No more hard feelings

There may have been a time when McCaffrey met Monday night's opponent with an extra dose of intensity, but that time has seemingly passed.

The trade that shipped McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers to the San Francisco 49ers in 2022 lit a spark underneath him at the time, but on Monday it was business as usual.

"When it comes to playing in the league, you have to approach each week as similarly as possible," McCaffrey said. "Stay in your routine. You can't get too far outside of what's normal for you. So I tried to do that, and obviously when you see familiar faces, it's always good to see them before the game and after the game. That's a completely new team than when I was there, so it's really just business once the ball is snapped."

Left tackle Trent Williams had a more humorous way of looking at it, albeit one that was also reflective of the time that has passed since the trade.

"He's been gone so long," Williams said of McCaffrey. "They've (fired) about five coaches since he's been gone. I think that kind of wore off a little a bit."

Ji'Ayir Brown shines bright under the big lights

The MVP of the defense, and maybe the entire game, was Ji'Ayir Brown, whose two interceptions came at clutch moments.

Brown's first interception halted a scoring opportunity for the Panthers in the first half after they picked off Purdy deep in 49ers' territory. With the Panthers facing a 1st-and-Goal at the 1-yard line, Brown's interception served as an improbable stop and a huge change in momentum after Purdy's first of three interceptions.

The second stopped another potential scoring drive in the fourth quarter and helped ice the 20-9 win for the 49ers.

Brown has had an up-and-down go of things over the past year or so, as his role has changed and he's moved in and out of the lineup. But on Monday, he made a statement that he's where he needs to be.

"He was awesome," Shanahan said. "We'll see more on the tape, but it felt like it was his best game as a Niner. Think he's been playing at a high level here for a while, but those two picks were huge and looked like he made a number of good tackles too."

The interceptions were the first of the season and the fourth and fifth in the three-year career of Brown, who joined the 49ers as a third-round draft pick out of Penn State in 2023. He told reporters after the game that he's stayed on the grind throughout any ups and downs and found his payoff on Monday.

"Goes back to trusting God, you know? Big believer in God, man," Brown said. "Big believer in my abilities on the football field. And I'm not letting nobody or nothing shake me from that, you know? God has time and for all of us, and tonight was my time."

Tight end George Kittle was one of a number of players who praised Brown after the win.

"Well, the first interception, we're all sitting there just talking, like 'The tight end's wide open, please somebody cover him.' And then he kind of just popped out of nowhere, made a huge play after an interception. So, anytime you turn the ball over and your defense can hold them to zero points is a huge thing. So, shout out to him on that. And then his second interception, that was on our side of the 50 too, so huge play. Just right place, right time.

"The thing I love about (Brown), he works really hard every single day, and I respect the hell out of him for that. He's had down days, he's had days where fans aren't really happy with him. And then he just shows up every single day and just works really, really hard. And, you know, if he doesn't have those two interceptions, and hey, that's a touchdown or it's a completion somewhere else, it's a completely different game."

Young defense shows strides

As could be expected after losing linebacker Fred Warner and defensive end Nick Bosa to season-ending injuries, it's been an up-and-down season for a 49ers defense full of young players, several of whom are getting their first chance to see extended playing time in the NFL. After experiencing a down point two weeks ago in a 42-26 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the defense has trended in the other direction after a 41-22 win over the Arizona Cardinals and the 20-9 win over the Panthers.

There are more tests yet to come, but Shanahan says Monday night's result is a sign that the defense is taking a step forward.

"I mean, I feel like these guys have been playing a while together," Shanahan said. "Ever since losing Fred and stuff, it's been a bunch of young guys, guys who haven't had their ops yet. I think each week you can feel them in practice get better and better. Now, it's not always that result on Sunday or on Monday. But today it was. I thought last week it was. We all know it was a rough fourth quarter, but these last two games I thought we've really improved."

Brown is one of multiple players Shanahan singled out Sunday as players who have served as "glue guys" for the young defense.

"I mean it's tough to sit and say names, but I think all our guys have had a little part," Shanahan said. "I think [LB] Curtis Robinson getting his first opportunity today to start at MIKE linebacker I thought was huge. But, he's been around us for a while and one of the guys people respect the most on the team. I thought [LB] Tatum [Bethune] has done an awesome job. He wasn't there today, but when you talk about glue guys, just the guys who show up each week and just work no matter what the circumstances are, Tig [Brown] has been that way, huge. Always [DB Deommodore Lenior] DMo. I think Sam [Okuayinonu] has stepped it up big. I'm really proud of our defensive guys, so I hate to even leave any names out. There's not a guy out there that I feel hasn't been grinding and giving us his all every week."

A long time coming

As Shanahan mentioned, linebacker Curtis Robinson was given his first NFL start Monday night in place of the injured Tatum Bethune. For Robinson, it was an emotional moment considering the path he's taken.

Robinson, a Stanford product, joined the NFL in 2021 as an undrafted free agent signing of the Denver Broncos, then he signed with the 49ers later that year after the Broncos let him go. He's been with the 49ers ever since, seeing time primarily as a special teams player. In 2024, Robinson saw his season come to an early end due to a torn ACL. But this season, he's played in a career-high 12 games (after playing in 12 total games through his first four seasons) and has logged career-highs in defensive snaps and special teams snaps.

On Monday, the 27-year-old Robinson totaled three tackles in his first start.

"It meant the world to me," Robinson said. "It's been really difficult. I mentioned this to the defense last night. It's been really difficult this whole week for me not to really reflect on the whole journey and just keep it about the team, keep it about the defense. It was a huge moment for me. And so to be able to come out the other side with a huge win on Monday night and finally be able to reflect on, you know, how long it's been and what I had to go through to get here. I'm grateful more than I could ever explain."

Bethune is expected to miss multiple games due to an ankle injury, so Robinson's time at linebacker isn't over. Now, with the first start behind him, he can focus on where he needs to improve in the days and weeks ahead.

"I really have to tackle better. That's my biggest thing," Robinson said. "That was the same thing last week. I'm going to continue to try to do that as long as I'm out there. I just have to be a better tackler for this defense. Honestly, if I'm going to be in the middle, I have to be a sure tackler. But my biggest thing this week going in was making sure that communication was on point and making sure that everybody had trust in me getting them lined up. And I feel like that's where we were at. I felt like we were on it the whole time."