Christian McCaffrey and his younger brother Luke McCaffrey are making family history Monday night as the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Commanders face off on Monday Night Football.
The brothers had never faced each other in an NFL game before tonight, making the matchup a particularly meaningful one for the McCaffrey family. And with the game now in the fourth quarter, the 49ers’ early lead has narrowed to just six points with roughly nine minutes remaining.
Christian entered the game as one of the NFL’s most established stars, while Luke is still working to establish himself with Washington.
Why Are Christian and Luke McCaffrey Playing Against Each Other?
Christian and Luke McCaffrey are brothers, with Christian playing running back for the 49ers and Luke playing wide receiver for the Commanders.
Christian is five years older than Luke, and the two grew up playing football together in Colorado. According to Christian, Luke was the only one of his brothers he never played with or against in a competitive football game.
Ahead of Monday night’s matchup, Christian said facing Luke would “complete the cycle” after years of playing with and against his brothers at different levels.
“It’s the first time I’ve been able to play against him, so it’ll be really cool just to share the field with your brother,” Christian said earlier this week.
The brothers won’t necessarily be lined up directly against one another, but simply being on opposite sides of an NFL game is a milestone for the family.
Who Are Christian McCaffrey’s Brothers?
Christian is one of four sons born to former NFL wide receiver Ed McCaffrey and Lisa McCaffrey, a former Stanford soccer player.
His brothers are Max, Dylan, and Luke McCaffrey, and all four grew up playing football together.
Max, the oldest, played wide receiver at Duke and spent time with several NFL teams, including the 49ers, before transitioning into coaching. He is currently the Los Angeles Chargers’ running backs coach.
Dylan played quarterback at Michigan before transferring to Northern Colorado, where he played for his father, Ed. He did not go on to play in the NFL.
Luke is the youngest of the four brothers. He began his college career at Nebraska before transferring to Rice, then was selected by Washington in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
That means three McCaffrey brothers have now been part of the NFL in some capacity, with Christian and Luke currently playing and Max working as a coach.
Christian and Luke McCaffrey Have Always Been Competitive
The McCaffrey brothers’ competitiveness didn’t start when they reached the NFL.
In February, Christian and Luke participated in a Raising Cane’s skills challenge that included everything from stacking cups and working the drive-through to squeezing lemons and drawing the restaurant’s logo.
The competition was hardly surprising to Christian.
“We always wanted to play in the NFL,” he said during the event. “Now, to have a brother playing at the same time, to be able to train with him and do all those things in the offseason together… it’s such a blessing.”
Christian also described growing up with four brothers as essentially a constant competition.
“Two-on-two everything,” he said, recalling how the brothers would compete in snow football, basketball and whatever other activity they could turn into a contest.
Christian and Luke McCaffrey Finally Get Their NFL Matchup
For Christian, the matchup has been years in the making.
He’s already played with and against other members of his family throughout their football careers, but Luke’s path was different enough that the brothers never crossed paths in an actual game.
The 49ers entered the fourth quarter with a sizable lead, but Washington has fought back to make it a one-score game with about nine minutes remaining. That gives the McCaffrey family even more reason to keep watching until the final whistle.
Regardless of how the game ends, Christian and Luke have already accomplished something neither had done before: They are brothers on opposite sides of an NFL game, finally competing on the same field after spending their entire lives competing everywhere else.
