Panthers vs. 49ers: Stopping Christian McCaffrey is San Francisco’s biggest test

The San Francisco 49ers face the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, and stopping rookie running back Christian McCaffrey will be the Niners’ biggest challenge during this contest.

Christian McCaffrey is going to be a serious weapon for the Carolina Panthers this season.

And it’s up to the San Francisco 49ers to lay out the blueprint how to stop him, as both teams open up their 2017 regular-season campaigns this Sunday.

McCaffrey, the talented all-purpose running back out of Stanford, presents a unique challenge to the Niners defense. And it’s one more Panthers weapon with which San Francisco must contend this week.

Even 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was complimentary of the rookie tailback, via the 49ers PR department:

"He can do everything. So it’s just how do you treat him? He’s a good running back. He can run outside. He can run inside. He’s good at screens. He’s good at routes out of the backfield. You can motion him out wide and use him as a wide receiver. He’s developed in those routes too. He causes a lot of issues in some man-to-man situations.You just don’t know what you’re going to get. When a guy can be everywhere and he’s versatile it limits what a defense can do, some of the situations that he can put you in."

In case that isn’t enough for you, the Panthers apparently have opened up their playbook for McCaffrey’s services, per ESPN’s Dianna Russini:

So how do the Niners try and stop McCaffrey this weekend? More like, how does San Francisco limit the damage he’ll likely cause?

49ers Linebacker Matchups on Christian McCaffrey

Our friend Ryan Sakamoto over at NinerFans.com detailed a scheme in which the Niners may be able to limit McCaffrey.

Sakamoto compared McCaffrey’s impact to Philadelphia Eagles running back Darren Sproles — a similarly built player offering a comparable skill set to the offense.

Like McCaffrey, Sproles can line up anywhere and be used in both the ground and passing games. Over four games against San Francisco, Sproles has averaged 3.5 yards a carry and 6.44 yards per reception.

Granted, the Niners defense is vastly different now, so those splits don’t mean much of anything. Instead, let’s look back to Sproles’ efforts against the Seattle Seahawks — a defense scheme similar to what the 49ers will run) in Week 10 last year. During that game, Sproles had two carries for 15 yards and a lone catch for six yards.

Seattle mostly took Sproles out of the game. How? Zone linebacker coverage and pressure up front.

Sakamoto argues the Niners’ best shot is to place their linebackers in strict zone coverage against McCaffrey. The rookie is simply too agile for man-on-man coverage, as this training camp video between McCaffrey and Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly shows:

Kuechly is one of the best linebackers in the game, and even he can’t stay with the talented tailback. So this puts pressure on San Francisco’s own linebackers, NaVorro Bowman and Reuben Foster.

Zone coverage, in this situation, simplifies the linebackers’ responsibilities and limits the chances for tackling mistakes.

But it’s not that simple.

Picking Poison

The amount of attention given to McCaffrey is going to take away from adequately covering Panthers tight end Greg Olsen.

Olsen may easily see more one-on-one coverage during this contest, putting pressure on either SAM linebacker Eli Harold or strong safety Eric Reid, depending on how defensive coordinator Robert Saleh uses his coverages.

Doubling Olsen with an extra safety — likely Jaquiski Tartt or Lorenzo Jerome, with Jimmie Ward (hamstring) doubtful — might be the requirement.

This doesn’t help, though, as it frees up 6-foot-5 wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin for a big day against San Francisco’s smaller, less-tested cornerbacks.

It’s not an ideal situation, creating the Niners’ biggest X-factor for the game — the pass rush.

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It All Starts Up Front

The 49ers defensive line has a major role to play in Week 1, even if that statement sounds a bit cliche.

But it’s even more important in a game like this.

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was sacked 36 times last season — tied for ninth in the NFL, which is a relatively high number, but it could have been much, much worse. Football Outsiders ranked the Panthers’ offensive line 19th in the league last year, which could have resulted in more sacks, had it not been for Newton’s ability to escape pressure.

Pro Football Focus ranked Carolina’s O-line No. 12 heading into this season, so look for San Francisco’s edge rushers to try and take advantage of some questionable Panthers offensive tackles.

All the while, EDGEs and linebackers need to set the edge to prevent McCaffrey from getting to the outside, also ensuring Newton isn’t allocated enough time in the pocket. The quarterback escaping on broken plays also presents a problem.

So, in a nutshell, two things need to happen to prevent McCaffrey from making a substantial impact.

First, offsetting Newton’s timing is a must. Second, and it’s entirely dependent on the first, the Niners linebackers need to be in positions where McCaffrey is unable to make a play — timed as such, where a Newton pass has to come out when the running back isn’t quite open.

And that’s just the passing defense.

Next: 5 toughest quarterbacks the 49ers face in 2017

Insofar as guarding against the run, well, setting the edges is going to be key. No missed tackles either.