It’s an NFC battle on Monday Night Football to close out Week 6 of the 2026 NFL season. Having said that, the San Francisco 49ers and the Washington Commanders have very different feels in terms of their running game.
The 49ers have one of the best running backs in the NFL with Christian McCaffrey. Also, their head coach and playcaller Kyle Shanahan is clearly a mastermind when it comes to designing runs.
As for the Commanders, starting running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt is out for the game, hence the depth chart must be used in full. However, the rest of the running ensemble is filled with veterans and more pass-catching players rather than pure runners.
49ers RB depth chart vs Commanders
McCaffrey is clearly an elite running back and he is the workhorse of this offense. CMC is averaging 4.7 yards per carry, has 286 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns at this point of the season. He also has 137 receiving yards on 19 catches. This is the 49ers RB depth chart for this game:
- Christian McCaffrey
- Kaelon Black
- Jordan James
- Kyle Juszczyk (full back)
Commanders RB depth chart vs 49ers
The Commanders won’t have Croskey-Merritt, so veterans Rachaad White and Austin Ekeler must take the mantle. However, both of them are more pass-catchers than runners, so the playbook might change a bit for this game. This is the Commanders RB depth chart for this game:
- Rachaad White
- Austin Ekeler
- Jeremy McNichols
Key takeaways
- Jacory Croskey-Merritt is out for Washington’s Week 6 game against San Francisco.
- Christian McCaffrey recorded 286 rushing yards and five touchdowns so far this season.
- Rachaad White and Austin Ekeler must lead Washington’s backfield during Croskey-Merritt’s absence.
