49ers must correct these things to beat Eagles in NFC Championship

49ers Offense: Developing the running game

The strength of the 49ers offense isn’t exactly a secret in the NFL: The team runs the ball better than just about anyone else, which allows them to break the game open with passing and play action.

Unfortunately, part of the problem they had with scoring had to do with the difficulty faced against a stout Cowboys defense that stopped them from running the ball effectively.

The Niners finished with 113 yards rushing from 32 total carries and a touchdown at a total of barely over 3.5 yards per carry, a far cry from the usual success they have running the ball down the throat of opposing defenses.

To their credit, their dedication to the run allowed them to control the clock and took the pressure off quarterback Brock Purdy, and they did break open wider blocking lanes as the game progressed. Since the Cowboys weren’t able to score often either, San Francisco wasn’t in a deficit and could work to wear down Dallas.

But 3.5 yards a carry won’t cut it against the Eagles, who have a stout defense of their own. The 49ers will have to look at the tapes and see what can be done better, or else they could have similar problems with scoring.

Purdy has had an exceptional season, but he’s still a rookie and the Niners need to make sure he can rely on others to do the heavy lifting.