San Francisco 49ers: Progress-report grades for each position a quarter through 2017
By Peter Panacy
Running Back
Right now, San Francisco’s best offensive weapon is running back Carlos Hyde.
Hyde was scantly used in Week 4, carrying the ball 16 times for just 68 yards — a bit of a shock, considering the Niners never trailed until the final play in Arizona.
Fortunately, the ground game appears to be working well enough for head coach Kyle Shanahan. The Niners’ 4.4 yards-per-carry average ranks 10th in the NFL heading into Week 5, and it’s been the only reliable feature Shanahan’s offense has been able to replicate with any sort of consistency.
What the 49ers Are Doing Well
Hyde’s 321 rushing yards thus far put him at No. 6 in this season’s leaders so far. And he’s ranked ninth in the league with 4.9 yards per carry.
As noted earlier, San Francisco’s offensive line has been able to run block with much more efficiency than 2016, which is a main reason behind Hyde’s new-found success. But Hyde also deserves some of the credit too.
According to Pro Football Focus, Hyde’s elusiveness rating — the mark which measures a tailback’s ability to create yards after being helped by the O-line — is a respectable 40.1. That’s above both the Buffalo Bills’ LeSean McCoy (36.2) and Pittsburgh Steelers’ Le’Veon Bell (29.5).
If he stays healthy, Hyde should easily be on pace to reach 1,000 yards on the ground for the first time in his career.
What Needs Improvement
Considering Hyde is one of Shanahan’s best offensive weapons, it’s a bit surprising to see the 49ers ranked 23rd in the NFL with just 94 rushing attempts over four games.
One would figure Shanahan to feature his top tailback early and often, especially considering the Niners haven’t exactly been playing from a massive deficit so far.
This number, which we’ll describe further on the next slide, plays right into the offense’s ability to use play action, which doesn’t work well if the offense hasn’t established the run.
To increase the number of attempts, though, Hyde will need someone to effectively spell him. That would mean more of rookie running back Matt Breida who, despite a solid preseason, is averaging just 3.6 yards per attempt.
Getting Breida going should help Hyde, which in turn, opens up more options for the passing game.