With the NFC Championship game against the Detroit Lions just three days away, the San Francisco 49ers were back at practice on Thursday -- and were back on the interview podium as well.
A number of media sessions took place throughout the day, with the interview subjects being head coach Kyle Shanahan, defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, tight end George Kittle, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, left tackle Trent Williams, and running back Christian McCaffrey. Among the topics of discussion were McCaffrey and quarterback Brock Purdy's MVP candidacy, why Williams is an impressive physical specimen even on his off day, and the defense's focus against the potent running attack of the Lions.
We touch on all that and more in this version of 49ers Notebook. Let's get into it...
Deserved honors
Earlier on Thursday, McCaffrey and Purdy were revealed to be two of the five finalists for this season's Associated Press MVP award, which will be handed out at the annual NFL Honors ceremony on February 8. Other finalists included quarterback Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, quarterback Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys, and quarterback Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens. Jackson, McCaffrey and Prescott were also announced as two of the five candidates for Offensive Player of the Year, along with wide receivers Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins and CeeDee Lamb of the Cowboys.
Shanahan offered his thoughts on the MVP award and why McCaffrey and Purdy belong as finalists.
"That's what they deserve," Shanahan said. "The way they played all year, the way they played last year, both of them at their positions (are) as good as anybody at quarterback and running back I've been around. Also, I've watched football for a long time. There's a lot of good players in this league. So that sucks that one person's got to get all those awards, but those guys are right there with those other guys."
Purdy didn't speak with reporters Thursday after holding a media session Wednesday, but McCaffrey was able to offer some quick thoughts on being a finalist. He's understandably more focused on the upcoming game than he is any postseason awards, but he was still flattered to be considered.
"All the awards are great," said McCaffrey, who rushed for 1,459 yards on 272 carries during the regular season (5.4 average) with 14 touchdowns while adding 67 catches for 564 yards and seven receiving touchdowns. "You know, when you're this far into the season and you're playing for an NFC championship, it's hard to think about anything else but that. Obviously those things are cool, but I don't think they touch how meaningful it would be to win this game and have an opportunity to go on to the next. But it's definitely an honor to be mentioned in that conversation. Definitely an honor."
With Jackson considered to be a solid favorite to capture the MVP award, McCaffrey likely stands a much better chance at winning Offensive Player of the Year than he does of taking home MVP.
Taming the Lions in the running game
The running backs for both teams will play a significant role in Sunday's NFC Championship at Levi's Stadium, as will the ability of each team to stop the run. The 49ers had some challenges in that area towards the end of the regular season and did so again in their 24-21 win over the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round last Saturday. The 49ers allowed 108 yards on 18 carries to Packers running back Aaron Jones, including a 53-yard run, and gave up 136 yards overall on 28 total carries.
The NFC Championship matchup features this season's No. 3-rated rushing offense in the 49ers (140.5 yards per game) and the No. 5-rated rushing offense in the Lions (135.9 yards per game). The Lions boast a powerful one-two punch with veteran running back David Montgomery (1,015 yards, 13 touchdowns) and speedy rookie Jahmyr Gibbs (945 yards, 10 touchdowns). Wilks knows he'll have his hands full in coming up with ways to keep the duo in check on Sunday.
"They do a great job running the ball," Wilks said. "I think the Montgomery and Gibbs one-two combination is probably the best we've seen all year. Different style of runners, but they're both effective in what they do."
Is there concern about where the 49ers stand with their run defense after the Divisional Round win? Linebacker Dre Greenlaw pointed out that Jones was simply a tough player to stop, and what he did doesn't necessarily add any worry to this week's matchup.
"First, Aaron Jones is a real, real, real good back," Greenlaw said. "The way that he runs the ball, he don't run the ball like a little guy. He runs the ball like he's the biggest guy on the field. So he's one of those guys that you just got to give your respects to at the end of the day.
"But are we worried about Detroit running the ball? It's our job to go out there and stop it. We don't look at our last game and say, oh, just because they got a few runs that we're worried. They got all those runs on the same play. So if we can stop that play, it's probably going to eliminate majority of the runs that they have. But that was a good team as well, too."
The Lions have rushed for a total of 193 yards and four touchdowns over the course of the postseason to this point. If the 49ers can keep Montgomery and Gibbs in check, chances are they'll be the team still standing when the smoke clears.
"It goes with a little bit of just understanding the (run) fits, doing our job, and then just playing hard as we can so that even if it's not the perfect call, we can make it a great call," Greenlaw said. "So we don't panic about what happened last week. We just live and learn from it and correct our mistakes and just keep moving forward and just being who we are."
Feed him as much as you want
McCaffrey has had a heavy workload at times this season, which has led to some concerns about his durability given the amount of time he's missed with injuries throughout his career. But he's not about to put any limit on how many carries he's given in any particular game and is ready to run as much as the 49ers need him to on Sunday.
"As many as it takes to win," McCaffrey said. "Yeah, I mean, I've had games where you have ten carries, have games where it's 30. For me, it's not about the touches, it's about making them count. Carries a lot of times are dependent on one, how well we're running the ball, and two, what the defense is giving you. And so for me, I just try to make every single touch count, no matter if it's a carry or pass or if I'm blocking, whatever it may be, you just got to execute on that play."
Silverback stories
Every once in a while, the 49ers will tell tales of what Trent Williams does to impress them in the weight room. On Thursday, Shanahan was asked if there was a moment during the year where he has marveled at how well Williams moves for his size and responded with a story of what he saw from Williams during the team's bye week last week.
"Almost every day except for walk-through," Shanahan said. "He refuses to bend his knees in walk-through. It's more to mess with me. You should have seen his workout last week after having a week off and him just being in there deadlifting and doing box jumps and stuff. You would have thought he was a 24-year-old specimen. Instead, he is 35-year-old specimen. So I'm sure he'll be a 40-year-old specimen too. So, I trust the man."
Williams, who gets rest days from practice during the week, said the workout Shanahan said is typical of what can be expected from him on what some might consider a day off.
"Yeah, that's my normal vet day," Williams said. "So, you know, I know a lot of people think I just sit here and just chill and drink Gatorade, but I actually try to use that day to get a little better."
Urgency level ten
It goes without saying that the 49ers will carry a high level of urgency into Sunday's game, but it was a popular topic of discussion on Thursday nonetheless. The topic is particularly pertinent for this core of players, some of whom will be playing in their fourth NFC Championship in five seasons but have yet to come out with a Super Bowl win.
One of those players is Kittle, who will be hungry to get his second NFC Championship win but doesn't seem to be looking at this week's game any differently despite the team falling short in the past.
"I've been pretty hungry at all of them," Kittle said. "I won one, lost two. It's not really fun to lose those games. So, no, I've been pretty hungry for them. I think the whole team is. The whole vibe is we have a confidence that we've built throughout the season. It's not a fake confidence. We've played football at a high level this long. Let's just keep going out there and play football at a high level. Play a team game this weekend. I'm a huge fan of our game plan this week. I think Coach Shanahan's working and I think that's great for us.
"So I don't know if the vibe's different. It's just a vibe that we understand not the pressure of the game but just where we are. We're in the NFC championship game and all we're going to do is go out there and play our best football and see where it takes us."
The 49ers have had to live with the frustration of losing last year's NFC Championship game to the Philadelphia Eagles after a season-ending elbow injury to Purdy, plus the clock may be ticking when it comes to how many chances this particular group of players will have to take home a trophy. But Kittle isn't thinking about the past and is instead focused on taking advantage of the chance that awaits on Sunday.
"I try not to think of it like that," Kittle said. "It's just, 'Hey, here's the opportunity. It's right in front of us.' Since the end of last season, (it's been) 'Hey, what are we going to do to try to get back there and try to win that game?; And all the effort you've put in throughout season, OTAs, summer training camp, every single day, every decision that you make kind of leads to this moment. And, hey, we're here. We made all the right decisions and we've done the right things.
"So what are we going to do as a team to win this football game? And I have a lot of belief in our team that we're going to go out there and do all the right things."
Williams said urgency and determination won't be a problem for either team on Sunday and that it'll come down to which team executes at the highest level.
"Honestly man, if your urgency isn't on level ten, if it wasn't on level ten last year, if it wasn't on level ten the year before, it's probably not going to be on level ten this year," Williams said. "So I think nobody needs any extra motivation. We talk about championship week, we talk about four teams out of 32 being left to prove they're the best. I think the urgency is a given, you know what I'm saying? And now it's just about going out there and taking advantage of the opportunity and trying to play mistake-free football, because ultimately that's going to be the difference. All these teams are good at this point. It's about who makes less mistakes."
Adjusting on the fly
Purdy caught some attention during a key play against the Packers when he was seen stopping tight end Charlie Woerner from going in motion, which was followed by McCaffrey running for a 39-yard touchdown. Watch below:
"Stay There, Stay There, Stay There."
An example of #49ers QB Brock Purdy showcasing how he read the #Packers Defense, told the TE to not move & the rest is history!
QB Greatness isn't displayed only by throws and stats, it is displayed by outsmarting your opponent! 💯👀⬇️ pic.twitter.com/FOF3Mc3XQV
— 49ers & NFL News 24/7 (@49ersSportsTalk) January 23, 2024
What exactly happened on that play? Shanahan told reporters on Thursday that the 49ers switched their original play call, but with time on the play clock running down, Purdy told Woerner to stay put in order to get the play off.
"No, we changed plays," Shanahan said. "We balanced it out on which way we were going to run. Then he was supposed to flip, then motion. We were just too late in the count. So Brock, instead of having him flip then motion, he just took the motion off and left him there because we were low on the play clock. It was an awesome job. We would've had a delay of game, or if he would've just sent that we would've had to snap and it had no one blocked. So it was him having good awareness of what everyone's doing on a run play."
