McCaffrey Delivers on a Crucial Third Down
On the most important third down of the game, 49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan split out running back Christian McCaffrey in the slot and had him run a seam route. To nobody’s surprise, McCaffrey got open and quarterback Mac Jones found him for a huge first down on 3rd-and-13.
A few plays later, the 49ers’ offensive line was dragging Christian McCaffrey into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game and the 49ers were putting the finishing touches on one of their finest performances of the season.
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McCaffrey Leads 49ers in Rushing and Receiving
During Sunday’s win, McCaffrey rushed for a season-high 5.4 yards per carry, while having a 58 percent success rate – which is really good. Not only that, McCaffrey was the 49ers’ leading pass catcher, hauling in seven passes for 72 yards and an additional 5 first downs. The former offensive player of the year accounted for 14 first downs of his own on Sunday.
The Steady Force Amid 49ers’ Injury Challenges
While the 49ers have been bogged down with injuries to the offense – missing tight end George Kittle, wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings and Demarcus Robinson for different periods of time and their starting quarterback Brock Purdy for five starts – McCaffrey’s been a constant.
No. 23 is the ultimate chess piece for the best mismatch creator in the NFL in Kyle Shanahan and as long as he’s on the field, Shanahan’s able to find different ways to get him the ball. The 49ers had struggled to run the ball this season with so many combinations of offensive linemen, tight ends and wide receivers, but it did not matter, as Shanahan treated McCaffrey as a slot receiver, manufacturing touches for him in space.
McCaffrey’s Comeback and All-Purpose Dominance
While McCaffrey’s speed, health and burst were in question coming into this season after the achilles injuries last season, he’s been the one unwavering force in the 49ers’ offensive arsenal. The former Stanford Cardinal leads the NFL in all-purpose yards – just like he did in 2023 when he won Offensive Player of the Year.
McCaffrey might not have quite the juice he did in 2023, but he’s been extremely impactful and proving again to be the straw that stirs the drink in San Francisco and the gasoline that gets the 49ers’ offensive engine rolling.
Building an MVP-Worthy Season
At Bovada, he’s not listed as one of the favorites for the Most Valuable Player award, but he absolutely deserves to be in the conversation given his start to the season.
McCaffrey’s had seven straight games of at least 100 scrimmage yards and he’s the first running back to do so since Kareem Hunt in 2017. For context, Eagles’ running back Saquon Barkley has zero games this season with at least 100 scrimmage yards.
He’s been the constant in the 49ers’ offense and has put them on his back with all the injuries around him. While it’s generally an award that goes to a quarterback given the weight and importance of the position, McCaffrey’s been superhuman to start the season and it’s almost being taken for granted because the 49ers’ offensive numbers as a whole aren’t super flashy.
“Dad Strength” and the 49ers’ MVP Push
There’s still quite a ways to go this season, but the dad strength that McCaffrey found this offseason has certainly fueled him to a fast start and vaulted into MVP consideration if you were to ask me.
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