The 49ers may have stumbled onto the cleanest version of Christian McCaffrey’s game in Week 1, and it came with a twist that was hard to miss: rookie Kaelon Black handled more carries than him.
Black finished with 14 rushing attempts in the Australia win over the Rams, while McCaffrey had 10. That split looked unusual at first glance, but it paid off. McCaffrey turned in one of his most efficient outings in a 49ers uniform, and the way San Francisco deployed him mattered just as much as the lighter workload.
The biggest clue was where the ball was going. McCaffrey looked most dangerous when he was running between the tackles, and the numbers back that up.
Seven of his 10 carries against the Rams - 70.0% - came inside, which was the third-highest inside run rate in a game since he joined the 49ers, according to Next Gen Stats. He gained 54 yards on those seven carries, good for 7.7 yards per rush, and six of those runs - 85.7% - came with pre-snap motion.
That’s the lane the 49ers should keep leaning into. McCaffrey used to do a lot of damage on stretch runs, where his vision and one-cut ability could turn the edge into a runway.
But that part of his game has clearly changed. Outside runs ask for more burst, and the source of his value now is much more direct: he’s better going north than bouncing things east or west.
Last year, McCaffrey was extremely ineffective on outside runs, and poor blocking was part of the problem. Still, the broader point is hard to ignore. The 49ers get more out of him when they keep him inside and let him hit the line decisively.
They also seem committed to keeping him fresher. On 28 of Black’s snaps against the Rams, 26 came on first or second down. That suggests the 49ers want Black involved early and often so McCaffrey doesn’t have to carry the full load.
It worked in Week 1. The lighter workload, the inside emphasis, and the rotation with Black all fit together.
McCaffrey had room to break loose in the second half because he wasn’t being asked to do everything. The formula was clear, and there’s no obvious reason for San Francisco to move away from it in Week 2 against the Dolphins.
In Other News...
Kaepernick Just Reopened One Of The 49ers Ugliest Front Office Wounds
Colin Kaepernicks latest interview has put an old 49ers sore spot back in view, revisiting the uneasy dynamic between the quarterback and then-general manager Trent Baalke. Kaepernick said Baalke was never supportive of him and preferred Alex Smith as the starter, a reminder of how fractured the organization looked during that era even before the tension spilled into the public. It is the kind of history San Francisco fans know well, but rarely get fresh details on from one of the central figures.
Kaepernick also said Baalke blocked a 2014 plan for him to attend the NFL Scouting Combine with Jim Harbaugh, another example of how little alignment there was inside the building. Baalkes 49ers tenure remains one of the franchises most controversial modern stretches, and his later stops with other NFL teams have not erased the bad taste left behind in San Francisco. The interview does not just reopen that wound, it underscores how much of the teams past turmoil still lingers whenever Kaepernick speaks. [Read more 🡒]
Robert Salehs New Start Is Already Raising An Ugly Question
Robert Salehs return to the NFL was supposed to mark a fresh start, with the former 49ers defensive coordinator taking over as the Tennessee Titans head coach after his run with the New York Jets. Instead, his first week back put an old NFL truth right in the spotlight: a coachs new job can turn into a rough public audit almost immediately, especially when the opener comes against the franchise that once decided to move on from him.
The Titans 23-10 loss to the Jets did more than start the season on the wrong foot. Tennessees defense had trouble handling key offensive players, and Saleh later acknowledged how difficult the jump can be from calling a defense to running an entire team. For a coach trying to establish himself in a second head-coaching stop, the early concern is less about one bad result than whether the bigger transition will make fixing problems even harder. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Already Look Smarter For One Costly Offseason Gamble
The opening weekend of the 2026 NFL season offered an immediate snapshot of how a handful of major offseason moves are already landing around the league, and Buffalos newest addition gave the Bills plenty to like right away. DJ Moore made a clear impact in his debut, while other headline names also wasted no time changing the look of their new offenses, from Kenneth Walker IIIs big afternoon in Kansas City to Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel Sr. fitting into San Franciscos attack.
For the 49ers, Samuels debut mattered because this was never just about adding another familiar name to the receiver room, but about whether the move would actually hold up once the games counted. His early production helped San Francisco in Week 1, yet it also sharpened the larger conversation around how these offseason bets are being judged almost immediately, especially when a single game can make one front office look prescient and another look exposed before September is even underway. [Read more 🡒]