T
he San Francisco 49ers are 6-4 to start the 2025 season and are very much in the mix for an NFC playoff spot. Despite countless injuries that have threatened to derail their season, the 49ers have stood tall and found ways to win, keeping themselves afloat even though they have had major holes at several key spots. Combine that with the strong performance of backup quarterback Mac Jones, and the 49ers have been somewhat of a surprising team this season.
But even though the 49ers have shined in many areas, they have struggled in an area that they have been very good at in year’s past– running the football. Even though running back Christian McCaffrey has been healthy all year and has played fairly well, the 49ers have not been the same team when it comes to running the ball– ranking near the bottom of the league in many rushing categories including rush yards per game (94.8), yards per carry (3.5) and are the only team without a carry over 20 yards. And on Wednesday, Nov. 13, head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about the team’s struggles with running the ball, with his answer shedding some light on the issue.
Shanahan’s Comments on Running the Ball
Offensively, the 49ers have done a very good job at moving the ball, with Jones being a big reason why the 49ers are in the position they are in. But in most games, the team has played one-dimensional football on that side of the ball, with the run game struggling to be as effective as it has been in past seasons. When asked about the run game’s struggles, Shanahan’s answer suggested that it was a group struggle.
“I can’t give you one reason, but that involves everybody. So, it’s one of the reasons we’re struggling [overall] though,” Shanahan said. “I mean, if you don’t get big runs, you’re never going to have those yards, you’re never going to have those stats.”
During the 49ers Super Bowl run in 2023, they were one of the best teams in football at running the football, with McCaffrey finishing with over 1,400 rushing yards while averaging a league best of 5.4 yards per carry– en route to winning Offensive Player of the Year honors. But now, the 49ers are the eighth team overall since 2000 to have zero 20 plus yard rushes through 10 games in a single season. It is the 49ers’ first time in this situation since 1986 as well.
Will the 49ers Improve?
Even though the 49ers have not been good on the ground, they have been much better at running the ball over the last month, averaging 113.8 yards per game in their last four games compared to only 82.2 rush yards per game in their first six games. Still, Shanahan needs to see more, with the 49ers held to under 100 yards rushing for the seventh time in 10 games this season in their latest week 10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
“I think we’ve done a better job running the ball here this last month, but we still haven’t found a big one and that’s what we need to get,” Shanahan said.
To begin the season, the 49ers were relying heavily on McCaffrey despite him coming off of an injury riddled 2024 campaign. A star in the passing game this year, McCaffrey is averaging his lowest yards per carry since his rookie season in 2017. But over the last few games, the 49ers have started to incorporate Brian Robinson Jr. more, giving the McCaffrey more of a break and allowing the 49ers to use fresh legs on a more frequent basis.
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