Christian McCaffrey leads 49ers past former Panthers team on Monday Night

Christian McCaffrey faced his former Carolina Panthers team for the first time since his trade to the San Francisco 49ers in 2022.

The All-Pro running back powered San Francisco to a 20-9 victory on “Monday Night Football,” finding the end zone and leading both teams in total yards from scrimmage.

The 49ers (8-4) are now firmly in the NFC playoff picture, while the Panthers (6-6) missed a chance to take sole possession of the NFC South lead.

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While McCaffrey shined on the primetime stage, it was a rough night for both quarterbacks.

Brock Purdy, who threw three touchdowns in his return the previous week, struggled with turnovers, tossing three interceptions on consecutive possessions in the first half.

San Francisco opened strong with a 15-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, capped by Purdy’s short pass to Jauan Jennings, who fought through three Panthers defenders to score. But after a quick Panthers three-and-out, Purdy’s first pass on the next series was picked off by Jaycee Horn, giving Carolina the ball at the San Francisco 16-yard line.

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But this night wasn’t just about Purdy’s turnovers — Young had some issues as well.

On first-and-goal from the 1, Young appeared to have room to run toward the pylon, but he instead tried a pass to tight end Mitchell Evans. Ji’Ayir Brown was right there to snag the interception in the end zone and bail out Purdy for his earlier mistake.

Unfortunately for San Francisco, Purdy was picked off by Mike Jackson in the opposite end zone when he tried to find Ricky Pearsall for a touchdown. The route was read perfectly by the veteran cornerback. Upon replay, tight end George Kittle appeared wide open and might have scored with a short pass, but Purdy was looking for the big play on the throw.

Then Purdy was really kicking himself after Horn secured his second interception of the game — a savvy play as he roamed free in the middle of the field and Purdy simply didn’t see him on a pass intended for Pearsall. The Panthers finally got points on the board after a field goal cut the deficit to 7-3.

It was only 10-3 at halftime, but the 49ers finally got McCaffrey into the end zone in the third quarter against his former team. His 12-yard touchdown run capped a 13-play, 80-yard drive by San Francisco, where the star back got key blocks from Kittle and fullback Kyle Juszczyk to reach the end zone.

McCaffrey finished the game with 89 rushing yards and seven catches for 53 yards.

The Panthers weren’t completely out of the game despite the 17-3 deficit, thanks to rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan hauling in a 29-yard strike from Young with 49 seconds left in the third quarter to make it a 17-9 game after a failed two-point conversion.

The 49ers created some separation after adding another field goal, but the Panthers still had plenty of time in the fourth quarter to make things interesting. Unfortunately for them, Brown jumped a route across the middle intended for McMillan, and Young threw it right to him.

The interception virtually iced the game, as Ryan Fitzgerald missed a 57-yard field goal with 2:47 left in the fourth quarter during the Panthers’ desperate attempt to get points.

Looking at the box score, Kittle led the game with 78 yards on six catches, while Jennings finished with 41 yards on five grabs.

For the Panthers, Rico Dowdle, Chuba Hubbard and Young combined for just 69 rushing yards, though Dowdle had four catches for 36 yards. Hubbard added four catches for 27 yards.

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