Studs, duds from 49ers’ NFC West-winning victory vs. Seahawks
By Peter Panacy
49ers stud: Running back Christian McCaffrey
Seattle entered Week 15 boasting one of the NFL’s worst run defenses, and that figured to play right into what the 49ers wanted to do in order to protect Brock Purdy, who was injured entering the game anyway.
A big game coming for Christian McCaffrey? Of course. After all, the Seahawks had allowed an average of over 200 rush yards per contest during their last four games.
Except things didn’t quite pan out that way for McCaffrey and the 49ers’ rushing attack. Early on, the Hawks expectedly packed the box, which aided in Purdy finding George Kittle wide open. Even as the game wore on, the Niners weren’t quite getting the production on the ground that they expected.
OK, so why is McCaffrey a stud here?
It’s the sheer volume in this case. McCaffrey touched the ball a whopping 32 times (26 rushes and six receptions) for a total of 138 all-purpose yards, and he also capitalized on that Dre Greenlaw forced fumble and Charvarius Ward recovery by scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
Yes, the Niners’ acquisition of McCaffrey is looking more and more like a steal with each passing week.