Christian McCaffrey gets the better of Jared Goff once again
On Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Detroit Lions 34-31 in the NFC Championship game to reach Super Bowl LVIII. The 49ers will take on the Kansas City Chiefs, who defeated the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 in the AFC championship game.
The NFC title game between the 49ers and Lions featured a pair of players who played at rival schools in college:
49ers running back Christian McCaffrey played for the Stanford Cardinal (2014-16) while Lions quarterback Jared Goff played for the California Golden Bears (2013-15).
McCaffrey committed to the Cardinal as a 4-star all-purpose back as part of their 2014 class. He had a Rivals rating of 5.9 and played at Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. As for Goff, he committed to the Golden Bears as a 4-star pro style quarterback as part of their 2013 class. He also had a Rivals rating of 5.9 and played at Marin Catholic High School in Kentfield, California which is just north of San Francisco. Both guys were highly touted coming out of high school and backed up their Rivals ratings marvelously. If anything, they should have been rated as 5-stars when you look back on it.
During their college days facing against each other in Big Game, McCaffrey’s Cardinal got the better of Goff’s Bears:
In the 2014 Big Game, McCaffrey was a true freshman, so he was still getting his feet wet. He had three rushing attempts for 19 yards and two receptions for 34 yards as the Cardinal cruised to a 38-17 victory in Berkeley. As for Goff, he went 16-31 for 182 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions for a rating of 98.7.
In the 2015 Big Game, McCaffrey lit up the Bears like a Christmas tree as he rushed for 192 yards on 29 attempts while also having one reception which was a 49 yard touchdown. McCaffrey was fantastic in the kickoff return game, too. He had three kick returns for 148 yards and one touchdown, so two touchdowns on the day. Stanford won handily by a final score of 35-22 on The Farm. Goff had a strong outing in this game, going 37-54 for 386 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions for a 140.8 rating. It's just that McCaffrey and his Cardinal were better.
As for Sunday’s NFC title game, McCaffrey had 20 carries for 90 yards and two touchdowns while also having four receptions for 42 yards. McCaffrey’s performance was key to the 49ers’ ability to come back from a 24-7 deficit at halftime.
As for Goff, he went 25-41 for one touchdown and zero interceptions. A solid outing, but he was really carried by his running game. His lone touchdown pass didn’t come until the game was basically over as the Lions still needed to execute an onside kick, which they failed to do.
McCaffrey definitely got the better of Goff in this one, though I don’t think Goff had a bad outing. He didn’t turn the ball over and then to go back to his touchdown, that was a clutch throw to keep his team in the game. It’s just too bad he couldn’t have found one more touchdown pass to get his team across the finish line.
After already being 2-0 against Goff in Big Game, it’s kinda crazy that McCaffrey tacks on a third victory over Goff in the NFL that sends his 49ers to the Super Bowl. This will be McCaffrey’s first trip to the Super Bowl while Goff reached the Super Bowl with the Rams in 2019. The Rams lost that game, though. If the 49ers are able to defeat the Chiefs, McCaffrey will once again have something Goff doesn’t have: A Big Game victory and a Super Bowl ring.
To give Goff a bit of love, quarterbacking the Detroit Lions to the NFC championship game is a remarkable achievement when you consider that the Lions haven't won an NFL title since 1957. That's before the Super Bowl came into existence. Goff had an amazing season and then during his time at Cal, he was arguably the best quarterback in the country. That's why he was selected with the top pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. His ability to make throws in tight windows is phenomenal. Quick release and great vision.
I remember a now former Stanford player who was a contemporary of Goff telling me that he was going to take Goff as his fantasy quarterback once he got to the NFL. Even though they got the better of Goff's Bears, Stanford knew they were going up against one of the best quarterbacks they'll ever see. He was THAT good.
Casting the rivalry aside, it’s really cool that all these years later, both Christian McCaffrey and Jared Goff are still going at it on an even bigger stage. Both guys have had excellent careers in the league and done a great job of making their alma maters proud.
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