Selfishness is not an issue for the 49ers, because countless offensive stars distribute the goals and have a lot of other tasks to do when a player doesn’t hold the ball.
That selfless attitude was on display in San Francisco’s 42-19 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, thanks to Christian McCaffrey’s block up the middle on a game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Brock Purdy to receiver Jauan Jennings in the fourth quarter .
For those who may have missed it, the 49ers running back explained his role in the game during a postgame interview with NBC Sports’ Peter King.
“We expected lightning right there,” McCaffrey told King from the 49ers’ team plane. “We talked a little bit beforehand and said that Jauan would be the hot receiver if they ended up with a zero blitz.” [seven rushers, no defenders deep].
“It’s part of playing the running back position. The most important thing is protection and the ability to get your hips down and block a linebacker in the middle.”
McCaffrey, fulfilling that duty, helped Purdy evaluate the field with a clean pocket despite the blitz attack and find Jennings for an 18-yard touchdown, giving the 49ers a win in a game that had nearly eleven minutes left in the game. provided much-needed security.
This is nothing new for the 49ers Faithful, who are used to San Francisco’s high-powered offense doing what is asked of them without an eye on their own performance, be it Brandon Aiyuk pushing defenders downfield or George Kittle setting up a pancake block along the offensive line.
That’s one of the main reasons the device is so successful – an all-in approach with a stunning sense of detail.
“If you don’t take pride in playing off the ball,” McCaffrey told King, “whether it’s fakes or blitz pickups or blocking in space, you’re not going to play here.” George Kittle is the best [tight end] in the league due to his performance in the run game. Then look at the tape – you will see Jauan, Deebo [Samuel] and B.A [Aiyuk] Blocking 35 yards downfield. We hold ourselves to a pretty high standard.”
The famous phrase “Any Any Sunday” could also be used to describe the 49ers’ offense. Fans never know who will have a big game with the star-studded lineup Purdy has to choose from. And McCaffrey doesn’t take it for granted that San Francisco’s talented players are just as talented and eager with or without the ball in their hands.
In fact, coach Kyle Shanahan teaches it to the group.
“I think we have a really unselfish team,” McCaffrey told King. “We just know we have a lot of talented players when they have the ball in their hands. It’s so important that we play until the end because you never know who’s going to make the big play.
“It’s coached. It’s really coached. We coach every day: playing without the ball is something we are all very proud of. That’s a huge benchmark for Kyle.”
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