Christian McCaffrey is as close to automatic as a player can get in the NFL.
The 49ers running back went off for 114 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries in a 31-13 win over the Seahawks on Thanksgiving, but it was a clip from the NBC broadcast that caused saw everyone make the same joke.
Late in the first half, NBC cameras showed McCaffrey swapping helmets on the sideline with an equipment manager on each side tightening the screws of his chin strap.
That — coupled with his usual absurd performance — saw the “Christian McCaffrey is a robot” jokes spill out from all corners.
“Proof CMC is a football robot,” the NFL’s official X account shared.
“Christian McCaffrey is a robot I knew it,” Fantasy Alarm analyst Andrew Cooper wrote.
“We can rebuild him. We can make him stronger than before,” another user wrote.
There were even a few Star Wars and RoboCop comparisons thrown in for good measure.
McCaffrey’s performance — he added 25 yards on five catches to his holiday total — earned him one of NBC’s famed postgame turkey legs, though he wasn’t going to take all the credit on his own.
“I think any time you run behind this O-line, you just have to have a lot of trust and patience,” McCaffrey said of his second touchdown run. “They did such a great job all day. The tight ends blocked super well. Kyle Juszczyk always blocks well. These guys work so hard in the run game, receivers blocking, so you just have to trust it, stay on your landmarks and you never know when the hole can open.”
McCaffrey has now scored in back-to-back games and increased his rushing yards lead: his 939 on the season are 248 more than No. 2 Raheem Mostert.
With the win — their third straight — the 49ers improved to 8-3 and extended their lead over the 6-5 Seahawks in the NFC West.
Safe to say San Francisco and its McCaffrey-led offense is entering the stretch run as a well-oiled machine.