How bad has it gotten for the Philadelphia Eagles, now in the midst of a three-game losing streak? They have become predictable on offense. At least to San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey.
Christian McCaffrey made a guest appearance on ESPN’s “ManningCast” broadcast with brothers Peyton and Eli Manning during the Monday Night Football game between the Eagles and the Seattle Seahawks, and the 49ers’ All-Pro back showed his in-depth knowledge of the Eagles’ offense.
As the Eagles were about to run a play on third-and-6 in the second quarter, McCaffrey accurately predicted what play the Eagles were going to run, based on their alignment alone.
It appears the Seahawks were just as wise to the play call as McCaffrey because they stuffed Jalen Hurts on the quarterback draw, holding him to only a 2-yard gain.
The Eagles (10-4) still managed to come away with a field goal and a 10-0 lead, but Hurts and the Eagles’ offense generally misfired for the rest of the night, and that allowed Seattle to rally for a 20-17 victory, sending the Eagles to their third consecutive loss.
Christian McCaffrey obviously studied the Eagles well leading up to the 49ers’ Week 13 showdown with the Eagles. McCaffrey produced 136 total yards and scored one touchdown as the 49ers dismantled the Eagles, 42-19.
And if he knows that much about the Eagles’ offense, just imagine what he knows about the Eagles’ defense, which now has Matt Patricia calling the shots.
Christian McCaffrey gets his cheeseballs
Christian McCaffrey, who leads the NFL in rushing yards (1,292) and all-purpose yards (1,801) and is tied for the lead in touchdowns (20), had other quality moments in his brief appearance with the Manning brothers.
They appropriately sent him a containers of cheeseballs, as a nod to his “audition” with Omaha Productions.
McCaffrey, who’s in the mix for both NFL MVP award and the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year award, also couldn’t hide from his embarrassing “flop” play, which the ManningCast aired, against the Eagles’ Fletcher Cox.
“That was some of my worst work,” McCaffrey said. “I’ve had some good flops in my career. That was not one of them.’’
At the beginning of McCaffrey’s appearance, when the Mannings suggested ESPN reporter Adam Schefter knew about Drew Lock starting Monday night’s game before the Seahawks quarterback did, CMC joined in the fun by saying Schefter knew about him being traded from the Carolina Panthers to the San Francisco 49ers before he did as well.
And, of course, McCaffrey talked about the 49ers (11-3), who are riding a six-game win streak and own the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
He cited the 49ers’ team-first mentality and overall unselfishness despite having an offense loaded with star players.
Next up for McCaffrey and the 49ers is their Christmas night matchup against the AFC-leading Baltimore Ravens.