Christian McCaffrey leads 49ers past former Panthers team on Monday Night

Christian McCaffrey faced his former Carolina Panthers for the first time since his trade to the San Francisco 49ers in 2022.

The All-Pro running back led San Francisco to a 20-9 victory on “Monday Night Football,” finding the end zone and leading both teams in total yards from scrimmage.

The 49ers (8-4) are now firmly entrenched in the NFC playoff picture, while the Panthers (6-6) missed their chance to take sole possession of the NFC South lead.

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While McCaffrey shined on the prime time stage, it was a rough night for both quarterbacks.

Brock Purdy, who scored three goals in his return the previous week, struggled and lost the ball in three consecutive positions in the first half.

San Francisco opened strong with a 15-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that was capped by Purdy’s short pass to Jauan Jennings, who scrambled for a touchdown with three Panthers defenders. But after a quick three-and-out by the Panthers, Purdy’s first pass on the next series was picked off by Jaycee Horn, giving Carolina the ball at the San Francisco 16-yard line.

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But it wasn’t just Purdy’s turnovers tonight; Young had some problems, too.

On the first goal of the 1st, Young appeared to have enough room to run towards the goal, but instead attempted to throw a pass to tight end Mitchell Evans. Ji’Ayir Brown was there to block the interception in the end zone and save Purdy from his earlier mistake.

Unfortunately for San Francisco, Purdy was picked off in the opposite end zone by Mike Jackson while trying to find Ricky Pearsall for a touchdown. The route was read perfectly by the experienced cornerback. On replay, tight end George Kittle appeared wide open and could have scored on a short pass, but Purdy was looking for the big play on the throw.

Then Purdy really started kicking himself after Horn made his second interception of the game – it was a masterful play as he roamed free in the middle of the field and Purdy couldn’t spot him on a pass intended for Pearsall. The Panthers finally got points on the board after a field goal cut the lead to 7-3.

Jauan Jennings of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter of the game against the Carolina Panthers at Levi’s Stadium on November 24, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. (Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

It was only 10-3 at halftime, but the 49ers finally managed to get McCaffrey into the end zone against his former team in the third quarter. His 12-yard touchdown run capped a 13-play, 80-yard drive in San Francisco; where the star back took key blocks from Kittle and fullback Kyle Juszczyk to reach the end zone.

McCaffrey finished the game with 89 rushing yards and seven catches for 53 yards.

Despite a 17-3 lead, the Panthers didn’t fall completely out of the game, as rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan hit Young’s 29-yard field goal with 49 seconds left in the third quarter to make it 17-9 after a fumbled two-point conversion.

The 49ers created some separation after adding another field goal, but the Panthers still had plenty of time to make things interesting in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, Brown jumped a route up the middle intended for McMillan, and Young threw it right at him.

The interception nearly iced the game when Ryan Fitzgerald missed a 57-yard field goal with 2:47 left in the fourth quarter during the Panthers’ desperate attempt to score.

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Looking at the box score, Kittle led the game with 78 yards on six catches, while Jennings finished with 41 yards on five catches.

Rico Dowdle, Chuba Hubbard and Young combined for just 69 yards for the Panthers, while Dowdle had four catches for 36 yards. Hubbard added four catches for 27 yards.

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