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49ers vs. Eagles: 5 realistic goals for San Francisco in Week 8

By Peter Panacy

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 02: Running back Kendall Hunter #32 of the San Francisco 49ers is tackled by Moise Fokou #53 and Jamar Chaney #51 of the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on October 2, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 49ers won 24-23. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 02: Running back Kendall Hunter #32 of the San Francisco 49ers is tackled by Moise Fokou #53 and Jamar Chaney #51 of the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on October 2, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 49ers won 24-23. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – OCTOBER 22: C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers hands the ball off to Carlos Hyde #28 during their NFL game against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi’s Stadium on October 22, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – OCTOBER 22: C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers hands the ball off to Carlos Hyde #28 during their NFL game against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi’s Stadium on October 22, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

No. 4: Give Running Back Carlos Hyde at Least 20 Carries

San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

It’s been a bit of a shock to see head coach Kyle Shanahan not completely utilize No. 1 running back Carlos Hyde and the ground game with frequency this season.

Hyde is averaging 4.3 yards per rush this season, which is tied for 15th in the NFL and actually above top-tier runners like Ezekiel Elliott (4.1) and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Le’Veon Bell (4.0.). Yet Hyde is 16th in the league in rush attempts per game (14.3), which is surprising considering he’s one of only a handful of serious offensive threats Shanahan has at his disposal.

Granted, the Eagles boast the league’s No. 1-ranked run defense this season, so those extra carries may not exactly translate over into good yardage.

But there’s a reason to be optimistic here. Hyde’s elusiveness rating — measuring how effective a tailback is beyond help of his blockers — is 49.9, per Pro Football Focus, which ranks sixth among all eligible runners.

This means Hyde could still be something of a game changer for San Francisco. And it makes sense why Shanahan would want this to happen.

With quarterback C.J. Beathard embarking on only his second start, a good ground game from Hyde would ensure Beathard isn’t going to be under as much pressure as before.

Additionally, with the Niners 30th in average offensive-duration time (2:25), controlling the clock with Hyde would ease the pressure on San Francisco’s defense as well.