“I think when it comes to the run game, when you can keep backs fresh,” the Niners’ all-purpose superstar said this week, “it’s a good change of pace for defenses, and it also can help keep the run game going.
asserted
it → think → game
It doesn’t really eliminate people’s touches.”
It’s actually not so crazy, not after the load Kyle Shanahan’s favorite weapon carried last season.
asserted
weapon → eliminate → load
Moderation is the key to a lot of things in life, and it turns out taking a pounding from NFL tacklers is no exception.
asserted
taking → turn → tacklers
But more touches — 413 of them — didn’t necessarily equate to better outcomes.
asserted
touches → equate → outcomes
McCaffrey averaged fewer than 4 yards per carry for the first time since joining the 49ers in 2022.
asserted
McCaffrey → average → 2022
With the weight increasingly on his shoulders as teammates seemingly went down week after week, McCaffrey looked around the league and saw a better way of doing things.
asserted
McCaffrey → go → things
In Atlanta, Bijan Robinson took fewer handoffs from the year before but put up the most yards from scrimmage of his career, the most in the NFL.
asserted
Robinson → take → NFL
In Detroit, Jahmyr Gibbs did something similar.
asserted
Gibbs → do → something
Both running backs kept up with or exceeded their career outputs while minimizing the bruising they took in the process.
asserted
they → keep → process
That’s because they had capable backups helping them out.
asserted
they → ’ → them
David Montgomery took 36% of the Lions’ carries; Tyler Allgeier picked up 30% of the load for the Falcons.
asserted
Allgeier → take → Falcons
He had no such luxury.
asserted
He → have → luxury
He accounted for 65% of the 49ers’ handoffs; the next-closest player was Brian Robinson, at less than 20%.
asserted
player → account → %
It doesn’t have to be that way.
asserted
It → have → ?
And just one game into this season, it would appear that won’t be the case again.
asserted
that → appear → season
McCaffrey didn’t even take the most handoffs in the 49ers’ 27-7 season-opening win over the Rams.
asserted
McCaffrey → take → Rams
He racked up 68 yards on only 10 carries.
asserted
He → rack → carries
Kaelon Black, a third-round rookie out of Indiana, carried it 14 times for 65 yards.
asserted
Black → carry → yards
As a team, they finished with 174 yards on 30 handoffs — an average of 5.8 yards, better than all but one game a year ago.
asserted
they → finish → game
“I was a little surprised at the end just that Kaelon got more than Christian,” Shanahan said.
asserted
Shanahan → get → Christian
“That was just kind of how the game went.
asserted
game → go → ?
I think I had like three runs in the first 17 plays, but [I] love taking some off Christian and love the fact that Kaelon was prepared for everything, the run game and the pass game, and allowed us to be able to do that.
asserted
us → think → that
It didn’t matter who got the ball.
asserted
who → matter → ball
And that’s no knock on McCaffrey.
asserted
that → ’ → McCaffrey
“Either back who touched the ball, to me, they were explosive, they were powerful,
asserted
they → touch → me
” offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said.
asserted
Kubiak → say → ?
There wasn’t one game last season that McCaffrey didn’t finish as the 49ers’ leading ball carrier.
asserted
McCaffrey → be → carrier
The 49ers are 36-13 with McCaffrey since trading for him midway through 2023.
asserted
49ers → trade → 2023
Last week was only the second time they’ve won when he has carried the ball 10 or fewer times.
asserted
he → win → ball
He was more or less an observer on San Francisco’s scoring drive to take a 10-7 lead into halftime.
asserted
He → take → halftime
Black ran it five times for gains of 5, 9, 9, 5 and 4 yards before Brock Purdy found Demarcus Robinson over the top for a 39-yard strike into the end zone.
asserted
Purdy → run → zone
McCaffrey had three carries going into the break.
asserted
McCaffrey → have → break
It was all the easier for him to help the 49ers land the knockout punch in the third quarter, carrying seven times for 51 yards.
asserted
49ers → help → yards
“I think it was such a good way to keep people fresh, take them out, put them in for plays you really need them,” McCaffrey said.
asserted
McCaffrey → think → them
“I think [Black] is good enough to do that, so I think that’s the benefit.
asserted
that → think → that
It really helps everybody.”
asserted
It → help → everybody
Black finished with the most yards by a 49ers rookie running back in his NFL debut since Elijah Mitchell in 2021, 2 ½ years before McCaffrey’s arrival.
asserted
Black → finish → arrival
Mitchell went on to run for 963 yards that season; before him, the last 49ers rookie to reach 500 yards was Frank Gore in 2005.
asserted
rookie → go → 2005
The Niners are learning Black isn’t the typical rookie.
asserted
Black → learn → ?
“I’d like to say it’s what I expect, but it’s not always what you get,” Shanahan said.
asserted
Shanahan → like → what
…and 17 more, not listed.
The Aporia
