Christian McCaffrey's return to the lineup didn't come with big numbers, but the star running back helped steady the offense in Sunday's 23-20 win in Tampa Bay.
"I'm just happy I'm here," McCaffrey said, . "That was a long journey and a lot of long days, so it feels good to win and it feels good to just play in a football game again."
McCaffrey missed the first eight games of the season with Achilles and calf injuries. In his return, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year played 54 of 61 offensive snaps, per Next Gen Stats, but saw just 13 totes for 39 yards against a good Buccaneers run defense. CMC added six catches for 68 yards.
"I never go in expecting anything, but when my number is called I like to be out there," McCaffrey said. "That's the third time I've had pads on in eight weeks, so just getting back into the groove. ... That was really good for me to do... I feel pretty good. I thought I was going to be a lot more sore, but we'll see how I feel [Monday]."
Getting the engine of the offense back makes life easier on Brock Purdy, even if the ground game was slowed on Sunday. The 49ers rolled up 413 total yards and averaged 6.8 yards per play -- compared to Tampa's 215 yards and 3.7 yards per play. If not for poor red-zone offense and missed field goals, the game wouldn't have come down to the final drive.
"I think he was awesome," Purdy said of McCaffrey's return. "We had multiple plays with him out of the backfield that were some big plays throwing the ball.
"Defenses have to scheme that up, they have to acknowledge him, which can open up some other guys. More than anything just seeing how gritty and tough he is, we get behind him. He inspires us and keeps us going and lights that fire in the huddle. It's huge having him in there."
The win pulled the Niners to 5-4, second in the NFC West and one spot out of a playoff bid. San Francisco won back-to-back games for the first time this season. With a healthy McCaffrey, Kyle Shanahan's club could be setting up for a second-half run.
