NFL: Christian McCaffrey equals Jerry Rice's touchdown record as the San Francisco 49ers beat the New York Giants 30-12
- Published
NFL 2023 regular season |
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Dates: 7 September 2023-7 January 2024 |
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Christian McCaffrey equalled Jerry Rice's San Francisco 49ers record by scoring a touchdown for the 12th successive game in the 49ers' 30-12 win over the New York Giants.
McCaffrey, 27, scored in the second quarter to equal three-time Super Bowl champion Rice's record set in 1987.
He is now just three off the all-time NFL record, held by former Washington full-back John Riggins and ex-Buffalo Bills running back OJ Simpson.
He said the record was "a huge honour".
The running back, who got into the end zone with a four-yard run, added: "Obviously, scoring touchdowns is a team thing.
"The offensive line did a great job blocking, I just had to hit the hole. But that's a huge honour to be mentioned with somebody like that."
Rice is widely regarded as the greatest wide receiver of all time and holds the NFL record for career touchdowns (208).
The 49ers' 13th successive regular-season victory also means quarterback Brock Purdy has won the first eight regular-season games of his career, the third-longest streak in NFL history.
The 23-year-old made touchdown passes to Ronnie Bell in the second quarter and Deebo Samuel in the fourth to finish with a career-high of 310 passing yards.
Last year's 'Mr Irrelevant', the last pick in the NFL draft, Purdy began his rookie season as third-choice quarterback but injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo saw him break into the side.
His only defeat since was in last season's play-offs, the NFC Championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles in January.