There might not be a foolproof method when attempting to tackle Christian McCaffrey, but one Arizona Cardinals player learned Sunday there is a wrong way to do it.
Early in the second quarter of the 49ers' 35-16 win, with San Francisco driving deep into Arizona territory, Cardinals rookie Kei'trel Clark went low in an attempt to bring down the 49ers' star running back as he charted a path towards the end zone.
McCaffrey immediately hurdled over Clark without hesitation and galloped his way across the goal line to give the 49ers a commanding 14-0 lead.
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After the game, Clark told the Arizona Republic that going low on McCaffrey is a mistake he will not make again.
"That right there, that was a wake-up call," Clark said. "I'm not going to throw my body in there like that again."
Clark was hardly the only Arizona defender who struggled to corral McCaffrey, who finished the day with 177 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns while breaking a franchise record in the process.
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Through nearly a quarter of the season, McCaffrey has done the seemingly impossible in today's NFL by being the rare non-quarterback included at the forefront of MVP discussions.
McCaffrey is averaging an eye-popping 6.1 yards per touch despite his heavy workload that has seen him lead the league in touches through four games.
He has accounted for 37.6 percent of the 49ers' total yards on offense this season, a spectacular figure for a unit averaging over 31 points per game.
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