49ers' McCaffrey slowed only by coach
The only person who could stop Christian McCaffrey from tying a San Francisco franchise record with a fifth touchdown was his own coach.
McCaffrey scored a career-high four touchdowns and the 49ers won their 14th straight regular-season game, beating the Arizona Cardinals 35-16 on Sunday in Santa Clara.
McCaffrey had a chance to tie the Niners' record held by Jerry Rice and Ricky Watters when they drove down to the 1 late in the game, but coach Kyle Shanahan called for a run to fullback Kyle Juszczyk that got no yards before Brock Purdy scored on a sneak.
“Honestly, I had no idea until I just came in here that he had four touchdowns,” Shanahan said. “I never know that type of stuff. I was actually shocked. I feel kind of bad about it. I wish I had tried.”
McCaffrey acknowledged after the game that tying the record “would have been nice,” but held no bitterness at his coach for the missed opportunity.
“He's obviously got a lot going on in game,” he said. “That's the last thing to worry about. As long as we scored, I was happy.”
McCaffrey gained 177 yards from scrimmage, scoring on three runs and one catch to help the 49ers get off to their fifth 4-0 start in franchise history. He also broke Rice's franchise record by scoring a TD in his 13th straight game, including the playoffs.
Purdy went 20 for 21 for 283 yards with a TD run and pass, setting a 49ers mark for completion percentage.
BUCCANEERS 26, SAINTS 9 ❯❯ Baker Mayfield threw three touchdown passes for Tampa Bay (3-1), and Derek Carr's surprise return from a shoulder injury did little to help the offense of host New Orleans (2-2). Mayfield completed 25 of 32 for 246 yards including TDs to Cade Otten, Trey Palmer and Deven Thompkins as the Bucs took over first place in the NFC South.
CHIEFS 23, JETS 20 ❯❯ Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City (3-1) shook off a subpar performance in which they blew a 17-point lead, but held on at MetLife Stadium. The Chiefs regained the lead on Harrison Butker's 26-yard field goal with 10:51 remaining in the game, Jets QB Zach Wilson made his first big mistake when he lost a snap. Tershawn Wharton recovered the loose ball and Mahomes and the Chiefs got it at the Jets' 47. Mahomes, who had a 24-yard run on third-and-22 to extend the drive, ran for 11 yards on another third down to the Jets 2, sealing the victory.
TITANS 27, BENGALS 3 ❯❯ Ryan Tannehill threw for 240 yards and a touchdown and Tennessee (2-2) rebounded from the franchise's worst offensive performance in 49 years by routing visiting Cincinnati (1-3). The Titans managed only 94 yards in losing last week in Cleveland. They scored 27 unanswered points and led 24-3 at halftime.Derrick Henry ran 29 yards for a touchdown, and he also found rookie tight end Josh Whyle for a 2-yard TD on a jump pass from the wildcat just before halftime.
TEXANS 30, STEELERS 6 ❯❯ Rookie C.J. Stroud had another big game, throwing for 306 yards and two touchdowns to lead host Houston (2-2). Stroud, the second overall pick in the draft, continued his strong start and he threw a TD pass to get things going in a first half when the Texans built a 16-0 lead.
COWBOYS 38, PATRIOTS 3 ❯❯ DaRon Bland returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown and Leighton Vander Esch scooped up a fumble for a score for host Dallas (3-1). Mac Jones was responsible for all three turnovers and was pulled in the second half after the Patriots (1-3) faced their biggest halftime deficit (28-3) under coach Bill Belichick.
RAVENS 28, BROWNS 3 ❯❯ Lamar Jackson ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more against Cleveland's topranked defense, leading Baltimore (3-1) at Cleveland (2-2), who played without injured quarterback Deshaun Watson (shoulder). The Browns started rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson at QB. The fifth-round pick from UCLA looked overmatched in his NFL debut.
VIKINGS 21, PANTHERS 13 ❯❯ Kirk Cousins threw two touchdown passes to Justin Jefferson, and D. J. Wonnum returned Bryce Young's fumble 51 yards for a momentum- changing touchdown for Minnesota (1-3) at Charlotte, N.C. The Panthers are 0-4.
JAGUARS 23, FALCONS 7❯❯ Calvin Ridley caught a touchdown pass against his old team and Darious Williams returned an interception for a 61-yard score for Jacksonville (2-2) in London. the Falcons are 2-2 also.
BRONCOS 31, BEARS 28 ❯❯ Russell Wilson threw for three touchdowns, and Wil Lutz kicked a tiebreaking field goal with just less than two minutes remaining for Denver (1-3).