Tag: Christian McCaffrey

The most important plays of Super Bowl LVIII

At the first half of Super Bowl LVIII, here are the most important plays that have done the most to define the game.

Every football game comes down to a series of moments that flip things in one direction or another. That’s the most true in the Super Bowl, where everything is magnified beyond all reason.

Through the first half of Super Bowl LVIII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs, here are the most important plays that have made the biggest difference in this particular game, which has the 49ers leading the Chiefs, 10-3.

NFL Twitter reacts to Jauan Jennings throwing TD pass to Christian McCaffrey in Super Bowl

After Jauan Jennings hit Christian McCaffrey for a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl, the NFL Twitter community exploded with reactions.

To notch the first touchdown of the Super Bowl, Kyle Shanahan went into the San Francisco 49ers’ bag of tricks.

After catching a pass from Brock Purdy behind the line of scrimmage, Jauan Jennings wound up and fired a long pass back across the field to Christian McCaffrey. Once McCaffrey caught the football, he followed his blockers on the way to a 21-yard touchdown run.

Behind Jennings’ surprise touchdown toss to McCaffrey, the 49ers took a 10-0 lead over the Chiefs in the second quarter of the Super Bowl.

Following McCaffrey’s first-half touchdown, the NFL community on Twitter exploded with reactions. Here’s a look at what fans and analysts were saying on Sunday afternoon.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

Jauan Jennings throws TD pass for 49ers off trick play

Jauan Jennings threw the first TD pass in Super Bowl 58

Kyle Shanahan got tricky and the San Francisco 49ers had a touchdown and 10-0 second-quarter lead on Sunday over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 58.

The play saw Brock Purdy throw a backward pass to Jauan Jennings.

The wideout then floated — yes, floated — a throw across the field and it landed in Christian McCaffrey’s hands.

The elite running back took off and was in the end zone 21 yards later.

After the PAT, the Niners led, 10-0/

49ers HC Kyle Shanahan should use 21 personnel vs Chiefs

San Francisco 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan can impact the game at the line of scrimmage by using 21 personnel on offense in Super Bowl LVIII.

San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan can impact the game at the line of scrimmage by using 21 personnel on offense in Super Bowl LVIII.

In 21 personnel, the 49ers can deploy either fullback Kyle Juszczyk, running back Christian McCaffrey, or wide receiver Deebo Samuel in the backfield interchangeably. Juszczyk, McCaffrey, and Samuel are all capable pass catchers out of the backfield. Also, Juszczyk is a great run-blocker that should be used as a lead for both Samuel and McCaffrey in the ground game.

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The use of 21 personnel will force Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo out of nickel and dime formations.  While the Chiefs have a terrific secondary, they are allowing 4.5 yards per carry this season on the ground. Shanahan should take advantage.

Shanahan better be prepared for Spagnuolo’s blitz scheme that forced four sacks in the AFC Championship. 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy won’t need to be perfect if Shanahan balances the offensive attack. Nevertheless, we have seen Shanahan get pass-happy in the past when the Atlanta Falcons blew a 28-3 lead in Super Bowl LI.

Who is Christian McCaffrey’s fiancée Olivia Culpo? Meet the 49ers RB’s significant other

Get to know the significant other of Christian McCaffrey.

There’s more than one sports and pop culture power couple involved with the 2024 Super Bowl.

That would be San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and his fiancee, Olivia Culpo.

The pair started dating in 2019, after Culpo had been linked to names like former NFL wideout Danny Amendola, Nick Jonas, Ryan Lochte and Tim Tebow. McCaffrey proposed to the former Miss USA and Miss Universe in 2023.

We’ll see when the wedding is, but for now, Culpo has been seen cheering on McCaffrey at games throughout the year, including in the NFL playoffs.

Check out some photos of the pair over the years.

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Who is Ed McCaffrey, Christian McCaffrey’s dad? Get to know the former NFL wide receiver

Football runs deep in Christian McCaffrey’s family.

Christian McCaffrey is the bellcow of the San Francisco 49ers’ offense. He’s the man who very well might lead the 49ers to their first Super Bowl championship since 1994. But before he became a superstar running back, his connection to football seemed deep in his family.

You might hear a lot about Ed McCaffrey, Christian’s father, on the broadcast this Super Bowl Sunday. Beyond the parental connection, the senior McCaffrey was an NFL difference-making receiver long before his son became one of the most gifted multipurpose offensive weapons ever. (Oh, and they both played at Stanford during their respective college football careers!)

Ed McCaffrey is best known for his tenure with the Denver Broncos from 1995-2003. He was instrumental in Denver’s back-to-back Super Bowl wins from 1997-1998, acting as John Elway’s No. 2 receiver who also blocked well for Terrell Davis in the open field. He was renowned for his toughness and selflessness. The peak individual achievement of McCaffrey’s career might have been a Second-Team All-Pro nod in 1994.

Ironically, McCaffrey also has a Super Bowl ring with the 1994 49ers, though he was not a significant contributor to that team. His son, by contrast, can be a central lynchpin for a 49ers’ title by helping to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas.

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Behind Enemy Lines: Take a deep dive on the 49ers with Niners Wire

Check out what Niners Wire managing editor Kyle Madson had to say about the #49ers ahead of Super Bowl LVIII.

Super Bowl Sunday is here. The Kansas City Chiefs are officially set to take on the San Francisco 49ers in a championship game that could earn Patrick Mahomes his third Super Bowl ring in four seasons and may establish his team as the NFL’s next dynasty.

Tonight’s game may be the most important moment of Mahomes’ career to this point, and with his legacy on the line, the 2022 MVP is sure to put together a stellar showing in Las Vegas, Nevada.

But the 49ers are no slouches. San Francisco was the NFC’s best team all season with Brock Purdy under center, Christian McCaffrey running the ball, and a defense that punishes any mistake their opponents make.

We took a deep dive into the 49ers this week with Kyle Madson, managing editor of Niners Wire, to gain valuable insight about San Francisco ahead of Super Bowl LVIII.

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Take a look at his responses to our best questions below:

Five things the Kansas City Chiefs must do to win Super Bowl LVIII

If the Kansas City Chiefs are to win Super Bowl LVIII, they might want to pay attention to these five advanced scouting points.

Every Super Bowl comes down to a few big plays, and a few key matchups. You never know what it’s going to be, but when the game is over, and it’s time for coaches and players to review what happened and why, everyone will go back to their advanced scouting reports — how they aligned their guys and how those guys played from a schematic perspective — and try to discern what went right and what went wrong.

Not that we’re professional advanced scouts at Touchdown Wire, but here are five things the Kansas City Chiefs should probably pay close attention to when they take on the San Francisco 49ers today in Super Bowl LVIII.

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This 49ers team could have been a Broncos team

The Broncos could have hired Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch in 2017, and they also explored trading up for Christian McCaffrey in the draft.

For the second time in five years, the San Francisco 49ers are in a Super Bowl. Perhaps the Denver Broncos could have been in a similar scenario had a few hires gone their way in 2017.

After former Broncos coach Gary Kubiak stepped down for health reasons following the 2016 season, the candidates to replace him included Kyle Shanahan, the son of legendary former coach Mike Shanahan.

Shanahan interviewed for Denver’s opening, but the team, led by John Elway and Joe Ellis at the time, ultimately decided to hire Vance Joseph instead. Joseph went 11-21 in two seasons before being fired. Shanahan has reached four conference title games (and two Super Bowls) since being passed over by the Broncos.

That same year, San Francisco hired former Denver safety John Lynch as their general manager. The Broncos did not have a GM job available for Lynch because Elway held that role, but late former team owner Pat Bowlen offered Lynch a job with the team “many times.”

Lynch waited for the perfect opportunity, which arrived when the 49ers offered him the GM position. Had things gone differently, the Broncos could have had Shanahan as their head coach and Lynch as a member of the front office. But wait, there’s more…

That same spring, Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey — the son of legendary Denver receiver Ed McCaffrey — was a top prospect in the NFL draft. Elway and the Broncos attempted to trade up for McCaffrey on draft day but the price proved to be too steep.

McCaffrey was picked eighth overall by the Carolina Panthers. Denver stayed put at No. 20 and landed Utah left tackle Garett Bolles. After struggling early in his career, Bolles earned a second-team All-Pro nod in 2020. He’s a good player, but McCaffrey is an elite player, winning Offensive Player of the Year this season after leading the NFL with 1,459 rushing yards.

Seven years ago, the Broncos could have hired Shanahan and Lynch, and (for a price) traded up to land McCaffrey as well. Some fans in Denver might contend that it wouldn’t matter if the Broncos still didn’t find a quarterback, but Shanahan has proven he can win without an elite QB.

Denver’s connections to San Francisco don’t stop with Shanahan, Lynch and McCaffrey, either.

Brian Griese, the 49ers’ quarterbacks coach, was Elway’s backup when the Broncos won Super Bowl XXXIII. Klay Kubiak, San Fran’s assistant QBs coach, is the son of Gary Kubiak, who served as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator and QBs coach for back-to-back Super Bowl wins under Shanahan in the late 1990s, then he won a title as Denver’s head coach in 2015.

Anthony Lynn, the 49ers’ assistant head coach and running backs coach, was a backup behind Terrell Davis for a pair of Super Bowl wins. Bobby Turner, another San Fran running backs coach, held that same role with the Broncos under Mike Shanahan from 1995-2009, winning two Super Bowls.

With so many connections to Denver, this San Francisco squad should have the full backing of Broncos Country on Super Bowl Sunday.

Ranking the 49ers’ six most important players in Super Bowl

The 6 most important #49ers in Sunday’s Super Bowl:

The 49ers’ star power is apparent. They enter Sunday’s Super Bowl against the Chiefs boasting perhaps the best roster in the NFL.

While the top-to-bottom talent for San Francisco is strong, there are a handful of players who jump out as particularly essential for them against a red-hot Kansas City squad. These are the 49ers’ six most important players for securing a win and a sixth Lombardi Trophy:

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