Christian McCaffrey tops 1,000 rushing yards, closes in on 1,000 receiving yards

During his big game in Monday night's win over the Colts, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season. In the final two weeks of the season, he may also eclipse 1,000 receiving yards.

McCaffrey currently has 1,039 rushing yards and 849 receiving yards this season. That puts him in range to record just the fourth season of 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in NFL history.

McCaffrey is already part of that elite club, having accomplished it in 2019 with the Panthers. The other players to do it were Roger Craig of the 49ers in 1985 and Marshall Faulk of the Rams in 1999.

Although the NFL's Most Valuable Player award almost always goes to quarterbacks, McCaffrey may get some first-place MVP votes if he tops the 1,000-yard mark in both rushing and receiving while the 49ers get the No. 1 seed in the NFC, which is within their reach. The 49ers' success can't be attributed solely to quarterback Brock Purdy because Purdy missed half the season and the offense still ran smoothly with backup Mac Jones. That gives McCaffrey a case that he's the real engine driving the 49ers' offense to the playoffs.