San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
McCaffrey puts defenses on alert
Seattle made covering 49ers’ running back high priority, opening spaces for QB Purdy
Christian McCaffrey had 32 touches Thursday night. Afterward, tight end George Kittle maintained that he expected each one to end in the end zone.
“Whenever Christian McCaffrey touches the football,” Kittle said, “I think it’s going to be a touchdown.”
A major reason for the San Francisco 49ers’ about-face this season? Kittle’s belief has been shared by the 49ers’ opponents.
The 49ers’ division-clinching 21-13 win at Seattle neatly illustrated how the mere threat of the All-Pro running back can have a transformative effect on their offense by scaring the bejesus out of defenses. It also helps explain why their seven-game winning streak has coincided with McCaffrey’s move into their starting lineup.
McCaffrey was a factor Thursday when he touched the ball. He ground out 108 yards on 26 carries, the third most of his career, and had a team-high six receptions for 30 yards.
But his most impactful work came as a decoy. Quarterback Brock Purdy’s only completions longer than 16 yards — touchdown throws of 54 and 28 yards to Kittle, and a 28-yarder to Tyler Kroft — were easy tosses to his wide-open tight ends, who were all alone because of defenders’ moths-to-light attraction to McCaffrey.
The breakdown: 2nd-and-8 on Seattle’s 28, 3:56 first quarter: Purdy pump-faked two screen passes, clearing out the middle of the field and allowing Kittle to roam untouched on his 28-yard touchdown grab.
Purdy initially faked a screen to the left to wideout Ray-Ray McCloud, which sent the first defenders toward the sideline: Right outside linebacker Cody Barton took two steps to his right before applying the brakes and strong safety Ryan Neal sprinted from deep in the secondary toward McCloud.
Purdy’s subsequent pump fake, to McCaffrey on the right side, inspired an even stronger reaction: Cornerback Coby Bryant, linebacker Uchenna Nwosu and linebacker Jordyn Brooks — who was supposed to cover Kittle — made a beeline toward McCaffrey.
2nd-and-5, 49ers’ 46, 14:12, third quarter: Why was the closest defender to Kittle in Walla Walla on his 54-yard touchdown reception?
“A number of people jumped Christian,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said, “and they left Kittle all alone.”
Yep. After McCaffrey had all six of his receptions in the first half, he lined up behind Purdy, who was in shotgun, and ran to the left flat at the snap. That prompted Brooks and linebacker Bruce Irvin to break toward McCaffrey, who was 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Purdy then threw to Kittle as Brooks futilely tried to reverse course. Brooks was 9 yards behind Kittle when he caught the ball at the 35.
“Credit to Christian,” Purdy said. “He had a swing out to the left. The defense was right out of the half, game-planning to stop Christian because I kept hitting him out of the backfield. Christian brought all the attention. George slipped through on the corner.”
2nd-and-6, 49ers’ 43, 7:28 fourth quarter: Kittle and Kroft lined bunched together on the right side and began by blocking Nwosu and cornerback Mike Jackson, respectively, as Purdy faked a handoff to McCaffrey, who was running toward the right sideline.
Nwosu and Jackson responded by leaving Kittle and Kroft to blast McCaffrey. The problem:
two busted coverages. Both Kittle and Kroft streaked downfield uncovered. Purdy chose Kroft, whose 28-yard catch was the third longest of his eightyear career.
McCaffrey’s presence was particularly vital, given the 49ers’ quandary Thursday. Purdy doesn’t have elite arm strength when healthy, and he was playing with rib and oblique injuries that Shanahan said inspired him to keep certain plays out of the game plan.
He didn’t specify which type of plays he didn’t want Purdy to attempt, but it’s worth noting that Purdy’s 26 passes traveled an average of 6.4 yards beyond the line of scrimmage and just seven passes traveled more than 10 yards.
Of those seven passes, three were incompletions and Purdy’s second longest (18 yards beyond the line) was a giftwrapped interception that safety Quandre Diggs dropped. The throw that matched his longest downfield attempt (19 yards) was an underthrown pass to Kittle that Neal broke up.
The point? Purdy wasn’t in position to drive the ball downfield, but he was capable of lobbing passes to wide-open downfield targets.
His touchdown passes to Kittle
and his throw to Kroft were thrown an average of 15.7 yards beyond the line and accounted for 51% of his passing yards (110 of 217).
All included an assist from McCaffrey, who played 57 of 64 snaps and had 26 of the Niners’ 30 carries by a running back. Shanahan referenced the McCaffrey effect when asked why impressive undrafted rookie running back Jordan Mason played only seven snaps.
“It was just tough in this game with how much we like Christian in the pass game,” Shanahan said, “and just the threat that he is on the field.”
Even when he’s not touching the ball.
• You’d figure a head coach who is forced to start a rookie quarterback who was a seventhround pick would be having years taken off his life.
But Shanahan sounds like he’s having the time of his life with Purdy in charge. He offered a revealing quote when asked about being in a play-calling rhythm.
“Our guys have been playing well,” Shanahan said. “When they’re like that — especially the way Brock has been playing — it’s really fun to call plays for them.”
Shanahan’s belief in Purdy was evident in two fraught fourth-quarter situations with the Lumen Field crowd in full throat.
With the 49ers leading 21-6 and starting a possession at their 6-inch line in the fourth quarter, Shanahan called a pass. Purdy’s short throw to wideout Jauan Jennings in the right flat was tipped at the line.
With the 49ers clinging to a 21-13 lead, Shanahan called another pass on 3rd-and-1 from their 34 with 2:42 left. Purdy ran for the first down because McCaffrey was covered by Nwosu.
“My confidence in Brock just allows me to call what I think is right,” Shanahan said. “You trust him to make the right play.”
• Cornerback Charvarius Ward displayed all-world coverage skills on DK Metcalf, the Pro Bowl receiver with the Mr. Universe physique.
Before Ward exited with a concussion in the fourth quarter, he largely shadowed Metcalf (6-foot-4, 235 pounds) and often employed in-your-face, press coverage on a receiver who is 3 inches taller and outweighs him by 39 pounds.
Metcalf was targeted with six passes when covered by Ward and had four receptions for 33 yards. His longest catch, a 13yarder, came on 3rd-and-32 in the third quarter on one of the few occasions Ward wasn’t in his face.
The only offensive touchdown Seattle scored against the 49ers this season came when Ward wasn’t in the game.
“DK is as big of a challenge as any receivers in this league with how physical he is and how explosive he is,” Shanahan said. “Just watching (Ward) battle in the game, not shy away. Thought he played a hell of a game.”