Where 49ers feel CMC’s absence most through first three games originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Losing a three-time All-Pro and reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year always will be a major blow to any team, even one as deep as the 49ers.
Running back Jordan Mason has more than stepped up in place of Christian McCaffrey, who hasn’t played a snap yet in the 2024 NFL season and remains sidelined with Achilles tendinitis.
Mason’s 324 rushing yards rank second behind only Philadelphia Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley (351 yards), and Mason already has 118 more rushing yards than he did all of last season. The third-year pro also has 16 rushing first downs through three games, which places him behind only the New Orleans Saints’ Alvin Kamara.
If there’s one area the 49ers are missing McCaffrey most, it’s third down. That’s where he truly shines above anybody else in the rest of the NFL as quarterback Brock Purdy’s ultimate security blanket. Whether it’s running the ball or being utilized as a pass-catcher, coach Kyle Shanahan knows McCaffrey is the ultimate luxury when his team’s offense has its back against the wall.
“I feel it’s been as easy of football as I’ve had in my 20 years,” Shanahan told reporters Friday at Levi’s Stadium. “It’s a very good bonus to have a really good third-down back. Just situationally, what it does on third down, what it does in the red zone, to me has as big of an effect on anything that I’ve experienced.”
The 49ers rank 10th in the NFL with a 41.2 third-down conversion percentage, but that number has dropped to 38.1 the last two games, both being losses on the road. When McCaffrey was an unstoppable force in his first full season playing for Shanahan last year, they finished fourth in the NFL with a 47.5 third-down conversion percentage, behind only the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills.
“You want guys who are serviceable at it and can do a good job, and all our guys…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/where-49ers-feel-cmcs-absence-030743522.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-09-28 03:07:43
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