T
he San Francisco 49ers are back in the win column. After losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week six, the 49ers returned home in week seven for a Sunday Night Football tilt against the Atlanta Falcons, eager to get their season back on track. Putting together a dominant performance in all three phases, the 49ers got the result they wanted, beating the Falcons 20-10 to improve to 5-2 on the season.
But a big reason for the 49ers’ win was the big game from running back, Christian McCaffrey. Missing almost all of the 2024 season with various injuries, McCaffrey has played in every game this season and looks very similar to the player he was in 2023– a season where he won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year. After the 49ers’ win over the Falcons, head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke on McCaffrey and had some very high praise for his superstar ball carrier.
Shanahan Praises McCaffrey’s Consistency
McCaffrey was the 49ers’ most impactful player in the win, carrying the ball 24 times for 179 yards and a pair of touchdowns while also catching seven passes for 72 yards. While many questioned whether or not McCaffrey would be the same player that he used to be, he has silenced those doubts this season– posting 100 yards from scrimmage in every game this season. And for Shanahan, watching McCaffrey still do that is something that impresses him each and every day.
“He’s huge. He is the most consistent player I’ve been around,” Shanahan said. “I mean, he just allows you to stay on track. He gets every yard in the run game and more and what he does in the pass game, it’s rare you’re going to throw the ball to him and not get a completion.”
McCaffrey’s numbers are down in some categories, particularly his yards per carry (3.5), but he still looks very much like the McCaffrey of old. Leading the league with 132 carries, McCaffrey has 465 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns, while also having 68 catches for 516 yards and three touchdowns– already nearing 1,000 all purpose yards in only seven games played.
McCaffrey’s Impact on the 2025 49ers
Coming off of an injury plagued season in 2024 and being 29 years old, this season had all the makings for a major McCaffrey decline. But McCaffrey has done far from that and has reignited hope that he is the key to a deep 49ers playoff run. Dealing with injuries to several key players this season, including Brock Purdy, Jauan Jennings, Fred Warner and George Kittle, among others, having McCaffrey back healthy and playing at a high level has been a welcome site for the team.
But as the 49ers approach the latter part of the season and trudge along on their quest to recapture the NFC West, they will need to be careful how they use McCaffrey. Keeping him healthy all year long is vitally important and if the 49ers want any chance of winning the NFC championship and returning to the Super Bowl, they will need McCaffrey to keep playing at his best.
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