As the 49ers pondered Thursday whether or not their new running back, Christian McCaffrey, was capable of faking the Los Angeles Rams out with a halfback pass, the team didn’t have to wait long for confirmation.
It had been four years since the former Carolina Panther let it fly for a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints back in 2018, but the proof was in the pudding.
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“I sent them the video of the play,” McCaffrey told NBC Sports’ Peter King on Sunday after San Francisco stomped the Rams 31-14 at SoFi Stadium.
King wrote in his weekly Football Morning in America column that as the 49ers created their game plan for the NFC West matchup, assistant head coach Anthony Lynn asked McCaffrey, “Can you throw? Ever thrown a pass in a game?”
The clip McCaffrey sent over in response certainly showed the 49ers all they needed to see, because once it made its way over to coach Kyle Shanahan, the team was practicing the play the very next day.
“I wanted to make sure they knew I could throw,” McCaffrey told King, who noted a hint of pride in the running back’s voice. “As soon as they asked, I figured it might be something for Sunday.”
McCaffrey revealed to King that San Francisco ran the play a couple of times in practice Friday -- and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was open every time. When Shanahan called the halfback-option throw Sunday, the result was the same.
But unlike in practice, McCaffrey’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Aiyuk counted for six points against the defending Super Bowl champions and the 49ers’ division rival.
Not a bad time for McCaffrey to show off his skills, which he attributed to his pair of younger brothers, who are both quarterbacks.
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The running back has displayed a business-like demeanor since arriving in the Bay, and his reaction to the pressure of executing such a difficult play in a big spot reflected the calm, cool and collected attitude that the 49ers traded for.
“Let it rip. Let it rip, you know?” McCaffrey told King of his in-game reaction to the play call. “It’s there. The play’s there. You just [got to] make it.”
And while San Francisco knew the All-Pro’s pass-catching and rushing skills were elite, the play unlocked a new facet to McCaffrey’s game that the team didn’t even know existed.
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Who knows what Shanahan will come up with for McCaffrey as he has time to ponder the 49ers' playbook during the Week 9 bye.
But whatever it is, it’s safe to say the team’s new star will be ready.