The early returns on Christian McCaffrey's tenure with the San Francisco 49ers have not only been great, they've been historic.
After being utilized sparingly in San Francisco's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last week, McCaffrey exploded with his first full workload Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. McCaffrey scored three touchdowns in Week 8, putting points on the board as a runner, receiver and passer -- becoming the first player to do so since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2005. Walter Payton (1979) and David Patten (2001) are the only other two players to reach the milestone since the NFL merger in 1970.
The 26-year-old finished the day 1-for-1 for 36 yards and a touchdown, adding 149 yards from scrimmage on 26 touches in the 49ers' 31-14 win.
With such a historic performance comes lots of praise.
McCaffrey arrived in San Francisco less than two weeks ago, being dealt to the 49ers by the Carolina Panthers in exchange for four draft picks. The 49ers reportedly edged out the Rams and Buffalo Bills for the running back's services. From what we've seen so far, they should feel lucky they did.
