Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: 13 predictions for the 2018 season

By Jason McDuffie

SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 17: A general view of the San Francisco 49ers taking on the Denver Broncos during a preseason game at Levi's Stadium on August 17, 2014 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Noah Graham/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 17: A general view of the San Francisco 49ers taking on the Denver Broncos during a preseason game at Levi's Stadium on August 17, 2014 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Noah Graham/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 01: Running back Matt Breida #22 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes the football against the Arizona Cardinals during the NFL game at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the 49ers in overtime 18-15. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 01: Running back Matt Breida #22 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes the football against the Arizona Cardinals during the NFL game at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the 49ers in overtime 18-15. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

No. 9: 49ers Regain Dominance in the Running Game

After the painful exit of the ageless warrior, running back Frank Gore, the 49ers were left with Carlos Hyde in an attempt to fill an impossible void.

While Hyde was deft back, he tended to end up on the injury list more often than not. And with Kyle Shanahan’s offensive style requiring a different skill set than what Hyde offered, it made sense for the Niners to explore other options.

Enter 2017 rookie Matt Breida and 2018 free-agent addition of Jerick McKinnon, and the offensive backfield starts looking a whole lot better.

Breida will step up into a quality No. 2 role and excel. As for McKinnon, he has great hands for a back, which can come in handy when a play crumbles and Jimmy Garoppolo needs a safety valve. He is also more than adept at blocking.

Add all of this up, and it will make for some great ground-attack football.