The San Francisco 49ers have faced their share of injuries this season. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who recently became one of the highest-paid players at his position, suffered a torn ACL and MCL, ending his season prematurely. Running back Christian McCaffrey, sidelined for the first eight games due to Achilles tendinitis, hasn't looked like the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year since his return.
This past weekend, quarterback Brock Purdy played without tight end George Kittle, while left tackle Trent Williams struggled with an ankle injury that clearly hampered his effectiveness.
Despite these setbacks, ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky believes the 49ers' struggles extend beyond injuries. While acknowledging their impact, he argues that San Francisco's once-dominant run game no longer delivers the same results.
"One, injuries," Orlovsky said while discussing the reasons behind the 49ers' struggles this season. "Two, they get beat at the point of attack in the run game way more often than they used to, and that's the big problem on early downs, when they're trying to run the football. They used to dominate the game. Now, they're constantly losing blocks from sometimes their best players."
Orlovsky also highlights how these struggles lead to frequent long-yardage situations, which didn't happen as much in previous seasons. To illustrate his point, he analyzed several plays from the 49ers' recent loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
The 49ers just aren't bullying teams up front anymore, and it's hurting their ability to dominate the run game. @danorlovsky7 broke down the deficiencies on ESPN NFL Live.
🎥 @espn NFL Live pic.twitter.com/wUEzFJmIoT
— KNBR (@KNBR) November 20, 2024
"This is the San Francisco 49ers constantly getting beat at the point of attack, not capturing line scrimmage," Orlovsky adds. "... That was never the case in San Francisco. I understand the injuries are a thing, there's no question about it. But I haven't seen this run game look as disconnected as it has over the past couple of weeks in a long time."
McCaffrey's struggles
All of Orlovsky's examples are from this past weekend's loss to the Seattle Seahawks and feature McCaffrey coming out of the backfield. McCaffrey admits that he has room for improvement and has not played at the level expected of him.
"I can be a lot better," McCaffrey said following Sunday's game. "I feel like I can be a lot better. You know, to miss time with an injury is always tough. It's not an excuse. I know I can be a lot better. I feel it. It's coming. I just gotta get rolling."
A case for Jordan Mason?
NFL analyst Brian Baldinger has questioned whether the 49ers are relying too heavily on McCaffrey and suggested that backup running back Jordan Mason might be better suited to carry the load.
"He doesn't look special," Baldinger said of McCaffrey. "He just doesn't. Mason, he hit that first run, got his eight yards up the middle. He hit that hole like we've been watching him hit it all year, where he was second in the league in rushing a couple of weeks ago."
Baldinger continued, "The way Jordan hit that first run, I'm like, 'That's what they need.' They just need somebody to just be a bullet right between the lines, and then he's always taking the pile with him."
