The San Francisco 49ers recorded back-to-back wins for the first time since September by beating the Carolina Panthers 20-9 on Monday.
Running back Christian McCaffrey ran for 89 yards and a touchdown against his former team as the 49ers, third in the NFC West, boosted their play-off hopes with a victory in Santa Clara, California.
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McCaffrey, 29, who also had 24 carries and caught seven passes for 53 yards, was traded from the Panthers to the 49ers in October 2022.
49ers starting quarterback Brock Purdy struggled in the first half as he was intercepted three times in the first 21 minutes, halting his team’s early offensive progress.
The Panthers’ Bryce Young, who threw for a franchise-record 448 yards against the Atlanta Falcons last week, finished 18 of 29 for 169 yards. The quarterback had a touchdown pass and threw two interceptions.
Teammate Jaycee Horn, meanwhile, suffered a head injury during the second quarter after intercepting Purdy twice and missed the rest of the game.
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The defeat of Carolina, which is aiming for first place in the NFC South, drops it to second place in the standings behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
They will next face the NFC West leaders, the Los Angeles Rams, while San Francisco will face the Cleveland Browns, who are at the bottom of the AFC North. Both matches will take place on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. GMT.
