San Francisco 49ers running back was the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year in 2023, and after he struggled through an injury-plagued 2024 campaign, he has made an early case to win that award again in 2025. Coming into the Week Six showdown of 4-1 NFC teams with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, McCaffrey led all NFL players in yards from scrimmage, and his 387 receiving yards – most among NFL running backs - was built on his consistent ability to get yards after the catch (YAC).

The Buccaneers knew this, of course, and it was the first thing they wrote on the whiteboard when it came time to devise a strategy to, if not stop, at least slow McCaffrey down on Sunday.

"Our number-one thing we had on our list to stop was the YAC yards by [number] 23, because he can catch the ball and he can hurt yo

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