No. 2: SF 49ers Aren’t Reliant on a Player Like the Rams Were with Todd Gurley
There was a time when Todd Gurley was the most feared running back in the NFL.
That time was not in 2019.
Gurley was noticeably unhealthy, and not playing as well as he had in previous seasons. Because of this, the Rams’ entire offense suffered.
However, star-running back health issues will not affect the 49ers.
First off, lead tailback Raheem Mostert is in great health and better shape than last season. Second, the SF 49ers are not reliant on Mostert in the same way the Rams were on Gurley because of how Kyle Shanahan uses his running backs. Shanahan likes to use multiple backs, and sometimes even uses receivers in the running game.
Additionally, the Niners have one of the deepest running back rooms in the NFL with Tevin Coleman and Jerick McKinnon behind Mostert. So if something happens to Mostert, another starting-caliber runner could step right up, and San Francisco’s offense wouldn’t miss a beat.
In fact, this happened constantly last season as Shanahan changed which running back was starting week to week or who was playing on third downs, among countless other changes. Because of how Kyle Shanahan uses his backs, the 49ers have no need to worry about poor running back health causing a Super Bowl hangover.