The NFL season is back, and so are the San Francisco 49ers.
Throughout this opening game of the season against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, there might be some early revelations about the Niners season.
A big question mark this season was how running back Christian McCaffrey would fare. After a 2025 season with over 400 touches, many were concerned about his workload in 2026. And now that he's on the wrong side of 30 years old, it'd be fair to wonder if head coach Kyle Shanahan would figure out how to keep him healthy and fresh over the course of the season.
As we've seen in the first half of this game, McCaffrey's usage is probably under scrutiny by Shanahan and offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak.
CMC has split carries with his backup, the rookie out of Indiana, running back Kaelon Black. And Black seemed to get worked into the mix far more than last year's No. 2 tailback, Brian Robinson Jr.
It's not a bad idea at all, though, and has seemingly kept both backs fresh.
49ers are wise to keep Christian McCaffrey from overdoing it vs. Rams
Black finished the first half with seven carries for 36 yards rushing, while McCaffrey only had three carries for 17 yards rushing. McCaffrey did grab four receptions for 20 yards, and Black had one reception for 5 yards.
All in all, Black did out-touch CMC by eight to seven in the first half. With second-year pro Jordan James inactive, it appears as if Shanahan will look to have the one-two punch to both give Black more exposure while protecting McCaffrey.
We'll see how the second half plays out. As it stands, it looks like we'll have a two-headed rushing attack tonight, and San Francisco will look to impose its will on the ground against a stout L.A. defense.
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