While the trip to Australia was perfect for the San Francisco 49ers given how soundly they beat the Los Angeles Rams, one thing was off: Christian McCaffrey‘s usage. Kaelon Black took many opportunities on what usually is a workhorse role for the veteran, but head coach Kyle Shanahan explained why this happened.
It’s not that McCaffrey will enter a committee by any means. According to Shanahan, and reported by Nick Wagoner of ESPN, McCaffrey was dealing with some cramps throughout the game.
Hence, at the prospect of injury, Shanahan opted to give calculated snaps to CMC, and let Kaelon Black flourish. By the way, it worked, as Black was productive against the Rams. All in all, McCaffrey is fine and should be ready to roll for Week 2.
McCaffrey was still very effective
While dealing with cramps, CMC was still borderline unstoppable. He had 88 all-purpose yards thanks to 10 carries for 68 rushing yards and five receptions for 20 receiving yards.
Facing one of the top teams in the NFL, McCaffrey averaged 6.8 yards per carry, which is an incredible feat. That boosted the Niners to get a very important win against a very tough divisional opponent.
The 49ers’ priority is to stay as healthy as possible
After the game against the Rams, tight end Jake Tonges and wideout De’Zhaun Stribling are already sidelined. Hence, the 49ers were correct in limiting McCaffrey‘s snaps to avoid any further issues with their most important player.
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