Christian McCaffrey scored TD triple crown in second game with San Francisco 49ers
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The San Fransisco 49ers’ investment began paying off Sunday when Christian McCaffrey leveled up in his second game with the team and scored the touchdown triple crown. The running back rushed, threw and caught a touchdown against rival Los Angeles Rams in the Niners’ 31-14 win.
The first of the three scores came on a trick play in the second quarter when McCaffrey took a lateral pass from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He then turned and tried a pass of his own, finding Brandon Aiyuk 34 yards downfield for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7. This was the former Carolina Panthers star’s second career passing touchdown.
© Ronald Martinez, Getty Images INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 30: Christian McCaffrey #23 of the San Francisco 49ers runs with the ball during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on October 30, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775825872 ORIG FILE ID: 1437768634
Then, late in the third quarter on third and 2, Garoppolo scrambled to his right and found McCaffrey again, this time he hit him with a 9-yard pass in the end zone. McCaffrey leapt to make the dazzling catch.
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On the next possession, McCaffrey rumbled forward at the goal line for his first rushing touchdown as a Niner. The score was the last one of the game and sealed the victory for San Francisco.
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This came a week after McCaffrey’s lackluster debut in a loss against the Kansas City Chiefs where he had eight carries for 38 yards rushing and two receptions for 24 yards.
Against the Rams, his final stat line read 18 carries for 94 yards on the ground, eight receptions for 55 yards and one pass for 34 yards with three total touchdowns.
The last player to score three touchdowns in such a way was LaDainian Tomlinson, who did so in a 2005 game for the then-San Diego Chargers against the then-Oakland Raiders.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Christian McCaffrey scored TD triple crown in second game with San Francisco 49ers