49ers end ugly streak that haunted their run game for weeks

The San Francisco 49ers' Week 6 tilt against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be a watershed moment for the season.

Unfortunately, there are too many bad moments from the 30-19 loss for the Niners, particularly in the aftermath of star linebacker Fred Warner suffering a gruesome ankle injury that all but likely ends his season, tacking onto the lengthy list of injured players head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. have had to deal with over the course of 2025.

But Week 6 was a watershed for another reason, too, and it's not necessarily a good one.

Although it's one San Francisco is happy to have finally reached.

49ers' rushing TD drought finally ends vs. Buccaneers

Understandably lost in the Warner news and aftermath, All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey rushed in a score early in the second quarter from 1 yard out, which gave the 49ers a 10-7 lead at the time:

Normally, a Week 6 rushing score wouldn't be much news.

But, for the banged-up 49ers, the score marked the first time this season any player crossed into the end zone on the ground.

Yes, this was the Niners' first rushing touchdown of the season. And all 31 other teams had long since achieved that feat well before Week 6. So, one has to figure Shanahan is relieved to have finally checked that box off.

In an interesting twist, combined with not having a defensive interception up to that point either, San Francisco was the first team since 1940 to be without both a pick and a rushing score up to Week 5, which is pretty unbelievable.

At least one of those unfortunate and forgettable streaks finally came to an end, and the 49ers can now focus on just trying to get their running game back to average.

Plus, in light of Warner's news, perhaps it's good the Niners' first rushing score of the season won't be that big a talking point over the upcoming week.