3 areas 49ers must improve on from Packers game to win NFC Championship

49ers must run the ball efficiently themselves

Another area where the Niners excelled in the regular season was running the ball. Christian McCaffrey, who may very well win Offensive Player of the Year, rushed for a league-high 1,459 yards in 16 games. On top of that, he also led the league in rushing for every week in the 2023 season.

Needless to say, he had an amazing year.

Against Green Bay, however, he rushed 17 times for 98 yards and two touchdowns. A 5.8 yard-per-carry average looks great, but if we remove McCaffrey's 39-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, the numbers tell a different story.

Removing that run from his totals would drop his YPC average down to 3.7.

Therefore, he needs to get it going early on against Detroit.

The offense needs to be able to rely on McCaffrey to run the ball efficiently, and pick up those big-chunk run plays he has been notorious for throughout the season.

Detroit has also been very good at stopping the run this season, so it might ultimately turn into a battle in the trenches for San Francisco's offensive line and Detroit's defensive line.