christian mccaffrey

The Rams shut down Saquon Barkley. They neutralized Jonathan Taylor.

Now here comes Christian McCaffrey.

On Thursday night, the Rams’ defense gets another opportunity to prove it should be regarded among the NFL’s best when the San Francisco 49ers and their multidimensional star running back visit SoFi Stadium.

The injury-riddled 49ers (3-1), with victories over the Seattle Seahawks (3-1) and Arizona Cardinals (2-2), are in first place in the NFC West. The Rams (3-1) can move into first place with a victory in the division opener.

A key will be giving McCaffrey the same treatment Barkley received in a crushing defeat by the Philadelphia Eagles, and that Taylor endured during the Rams’ victory over the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday.

Barkley, the reigning NFL offensive player of the year, gained only 46 yards in 18 carries. Taylor, the NFL’s leading rusher, gained 76 yards in 17 carries.

McCaffrey is averaging 56.3 yards rushing and 76.3 yards receiving per game. But the Rams are well-acquainted with his breakaway threat.

“He’s a fast dude who can bounce it outside,” Rams edge rusher Jared Verse said. “He can run downhill, he can make you pay if you leave even the smallest crease just like we faced the past two weeks.

“I think the biggest threat that he adds is his ability to receive, like he’s leading them in receptions for a reason. He’s leading them in yards for a reason. He’s a dangerous back when you get to it.”

Since the 49ers outbid the Rams to acquire McCaffrey at the trade deadline in 2022, McCaffrey has played against the Rams twice.

In 2022, he rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown, caught eight passes — including one for a touchdown — and passed for a touchdown in the 49ers’ 31-14 victory.

In 2023, he rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown in a 30-23 victory for the 49ers.

“We know they’re going to target him,” Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. “He’s going to be the focal point of their offense and it’s just a huge challenge.”

McCaffrey, however, will be operating in an offense that will be without key several players because of injuries.

Quarterback Brock Purdy and receivers Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings and Jordan Watkins will not play. Star tight end George Kittle remains on injured reserve for at least one more game.

Mac Jones will start in place of Purdy.

Tom Brady is not coming out of retirement.

Adam Schefter, the most plugged-in NFL reporter anywhere, did in fact begin an X.com post Monday with the words “Tom Brady is coming out of retirement” — but he didn’t mean that the greatest quarterback of all time was actually doing so.

He won’t suit up to spell Joe Burrow while the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback nurses his turf toe back to health. He won’t nudge Russell Wilson into retirement and join the New York Giants.

What Brady, 48, will do is play in a flag football tournament in Saudi Arabia next March.

At least that’s what Schefter wrote.

Brady will join fellow retired New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski and a host of current NFL standouts including Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, CeeDee Lamb, Maxx Crosby, Sauce Gardner and Myles Garrett in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, a three-team tournament to be held March 21, 2026, in Riyadh.

Pete Carroll, Sean Payton and Kyle Shanahan will coach the three five-player teams. The tournament will be held at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh and televised by Fox Sports, with comedian Kevin Hart hosting.

The whole thing sounds like fun. It is, however, a business plan disguised as a promotional stunt.

The NFL makes no secret that it is going global — witness the season opener in São Paulo between the Chiefs and Chargers. And Saudi Arabia makes no secret about broadening its sports holdings, investing billions through its Public Investment Fund in an attempt to expand its oil-based economy and mend its international image.

Fanatics, which is an exclusive licensed retailer of NFL online merchandise, will sponsor the flag football event as a business venture as well. The PIV and the Qatari sovereign wealth fund have invested in Fanatics.

“It is just a great opportunity to expand the game globally,” Brady said in a statement. “Sometimes, you have to get outside your comfort zone to create awareness.”

The NFL will play six more regular-season games overseas this season, three in London and one each in Dublin, Berlin and Madrid.

Flag football has become an easy way to introduce the game to new markets. The NFL has encouraged states to play flag football in high school, and it has become particularly popular as a girls sport.

Flag football also will debut as an Olympic sport in 2028 in L.A., and the NFL has given its players permission to participate.

Olivia Culpo and Christian McCaffrey are now parents, and the arrival of their baby girl has them both feeling lucky.

Model-actor Culpo revealed Sunday that she and her NFL star husband welcomed their daughter earlier this month. She marked the beginning of her journey into motherhood on Instagram, sharing several pictures from her newborn’s first moments in the world. A carousel of black-and-white photos document tender moments between Culpo, McCaffrey and their baby at Cedars-Sinai.

Culpo’s Instagram post also included a name reveal. “Colette Annalise McCaffrey,” she captioned her photos, adding a white heart emoji.

Additionally, Culpo shared photos from baby Colette’s arrival to her Instagram stories, where she praised her San Francisco 49ers running back husband. “Colette is so lucky to have the best daddy in the world,” she wrote in an Instagram photo of McCaffrey tending to their newborn. “A love like no other.”

In another Instagram story on Sunday, Culpo recalled her labor as the “scariest and most rewarding of all experiences” and her husband’s calming effect. She shared a photo of McCaffrey holding her head during her delivery. In his Instagram story, McCaffrey reciprocated the sentiment, posting a photo of himself holding his baby girl.

“Luckiest man on the planet,” he captioned the photo. “I love you @OliviaCulpo.”

Culpo, 33, and McCaffrey, 29, were rumored to be dating as early as May 2019 and got engaged in April 2023. They married in June 2024 in Culpo’s native Rhode Island. Culpo, a former Miss Universe, announced in March that she and her husband were expecting their first child together.

“Next chapter, motherhood,” she captioned photos from her maternity photo shoot.

A representative for Culpo did not immediately respond on Monday to The Times’ request for additional information.