5 key stats where 49ers offense dramatically improves in 2022

49ers stat improvement No. 4: Short-yardage rushing

Despite Deebo Samuel impacting the Niners’ rushing attack a year ago, it still struggled in one vital area.

Moving the chains on 3rd-and-short situations.

To help alleviate this, San Francisco used a third-round NFL Draft pick on former LSU running back Tyrion Davis-Price, hoping his sizable 6-foot-1, 219-pound frame would be physical enough to fight for those extra yards in contested spaces.

And while some thought the 49ers were massively reaching, ESPN’s Nick Wagoner broke down how the Niners’ statistical weakness and Davis-Price’s strengths could mesh here:

"That approach could go a long way in helping the Niners in short-yardage situations, where they were perfect in 2021 when close enough for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to execute a sneak but one of the NFL’s least successful teams when handing it off. To wit: The 49ers ranked 29th in the league in third-down run conversion percentage, gaining a first down on just 42.4% of their rushing attempts on third down. On handoffs to running backs, their conversion rate of 42.1% was last in the NFL on fourth or third-and-3 or fewer. They averaged 2.3 yards per carry on third-and-2 or fewer yards, which ranked 26th in the NFL. In 2021, Davis-Price had 36 carries for 153 yards and two touchdowns on third or fourth down. From that, he went for 111 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries when the Tigers faced third or fourth down with 3 or fewer yards to go."

Related Story: Why Tyrion Davis-Price won’t be a washout NFL Draft pick

Granted, the threat of Trey Lance’s stronger arm is likely going to prevent opponents from cheating towards the box as they frequently did with Garoppolo.

However, getting more physical with the ball on those 3rd-and-short situations will be vital, and there’s an excellent chance the Niners wind up performing much better than 26th in this particular stat area.