SEATTLE — San Francisco 49ers working again Christian McCaffrey had simply etched his identify into the franchise document books as soon as once more and his group had performed the identical with a landmark victory in Seattle in opposition to the rival Seahawks.
However the factor most on McCaffrey’s thoughts after setting the franchise document for speeding touchdowns in a season and his group throttling Seattle 31-13 on Thursday evening was the postgame meal he acquired to take pleasure in on Lumen Discipline along with his teammates.
“That was superior,” McCaffrey mentioned. “It was really actually good turkey, too. I don’t know how they saved the entire dishes sizzling … however the turkey was actually good, effectively cooked. It wasn’t dry in any respect and like I mentioned, nonetheless sizzling, which was spectacular for being 20 minutes after the sport.”
For as spectacular as sizzling turkey might need been for McCaffrey and 6 of his teammates, what they did Thursday evening shined even brighter as they took management of the NFC West division.
For starters, the Niners appear to have lastly damaged the spell the Seahawks have had over them for the higher a part of the previous decade-plus. Together with Thursday evening’s win, that is the second consecutive yr the Niners beat the Seahawks in Seattle, one thing the group had by no means performed in franchise historical past. The 18-point margin of victory was their largest in a sport at Seattle since a 31-point win in 1988.
It was additionally San Francisco’s tenth consecutive win within the NFC West division and fourth straight (together with playoffs) in opposition to a Seahawks group that had gained 17 of the earlier 21 conferences relationship to 2012.
For Niners followers with lengthy recollections, maybe essentially the most painstaking got here in 2014 when the Seahawks dined on turkey at midfield of the just-opened Levi’s Stadium. Though the Niners do not have many gamers who’ve suffered by these previous defeats to Seattle, it is not misplaced on them what it means to lastly exorcise a few of these demons.
“A win in opposition to that group, they play us so laborious each single time we play ’em,” linebacker Fred Warner mentioned. “A win whatever the rating, I really feel like is basically massive for us. And it is within the division, on the street in a big-time scenario.”
It is no coincidence that McCaffrey’s arrival in San Francisco has aligned with San Francisco’s sudden dominance in opposition to the Seahawks. McCaffrey has performed a key function in three of these 4 wins and put his stamp on Thursday’s sport earlier than chowing down postgame.
McCaffrey completed Thursday’s sport with 114 yards on 19 carries with two touchdowns, including one other 25 yards on 5 receptions. It was the second landing that may lead the spotlight reel coach Kyle Shanahan exhibits his group throughout movie assessment subsequent week.
On first-and-goal at Seattle’s 8 with 5:19 left within the first half, McCaffrey took a pitch to the left and appeared to chop it inside. A wall of humanity blocked his path to the tip zone as McCaffrey patiently waited for a sliver of room to run. When it lastly (barely) opened, he squeezed by the tiniest of holes, made a pair of tacklers miss after which carried a number of defenders into the tip zone for the 8-yard rating.
It was McCaffrey’s eleventh speeding landing of the season, essentially the most by a Niner in a season in franchise historical past, surpassing six others beforehand tied at 10. It was additionally McCaffrey’s league-leading sixteenth whole landing on the season, becoming a member of Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens as the one 49ers ever to hit that many in a yr.
“It was superior,” Shanahan mentioned. “I did not suppose it was going to be there … They did not seem like calls that ought to have scored however he made it come to life.”
McCaffrey has 29 touchdowns from scrimmage since becoming a member of the Niners in October of final season. Solely Chicago’s Gale Sayers (31) and the Eagles’ Steve Van Buren (30) have scored extra of their first 25 video games (together with playoffs) with a brand new group in NFL historical past.
“He is a canine,” quarterback Brock Purdy mentioned. “You simply by no means know when he will hold going or get out of one thing. For him to do this would not actually shock me. However on the identical time, I look as much as that sort of stuff. It provides us a spark and power to the offense after we want it most.”
The 49ers determine to wish loads extra of it within the coming weeks. At 8-3, they sit two video games away from the Seahawks within the NFC West with the tiebreaker in hand. The groups meet once more at Levi’s Stadium on Dec. 10, and there is a situation by which the 49ers might wrap up the division crown that day.
Earlier than they’ll get to all of that, they now get a brief break to get well and put together for a much-anticipated NFC Championship Recreation rematch with the Eagles in Philadelphia on Dec. 3.
However no one was fairly prepared to speak about that showdown after Thursday’s win. In any case, there was nonetheless turkey to eat and a victory in opposition to an outdated rival to have a good time.
“That was a second I am going to keep in mind endlessly,” Warner mentioned. “Going into this sport, I clearly needed us to win as a result of you do not get to eat turkey when you lose on their discipline.”
