49ers rediscover offensive identity with dominant ground game

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers finally got back to their offensive identity.

A team that built its success on a strong running game had been forced into becoming one of the most pass-reliant teams for much of the first six weeks as Christian McCaffrey and the ground attack struggled to get going.

That's what made the victory last week over Atlanta so gratifying as the Niners (5-2) ran the ball 39 times and gained 174 yards on the ground in a 20-10 win that looked far more typical.

Now the task will be repeating that formula in the coming weeks, starting with a game Sunday against the Houston Texans.

“When it comes to establishing your identity, you have to do that every week,” McCaffrey said Wednesday. “It’s not something where you just have it and you’re good to go the rest of the year. It’s a mindset that has to happen all the time.”

That mindset hadn't been producing results on the ground for the first six games.

McCaffrey averaged only 3.1 yards per carry in that span — more than 2 yards below his average in 2023 when he won AP Offensive Player of the Year — and the Niners ranked last in the league in yards per carry (3.1) and third worst in yards rushing per game (82.2).

That led to some talk about whether the 29-year-old McCaffrey had lost a step and would ever get back to that 2023 form after an injury riddled 2024 campaign.

“The talk doesn’t make me upset,” he said. “I get it. I’m equally frustrated. I don’t want to have whatever the yards per carry are. I want to be able to score every time I touch it. Trust me, whenever things don’t go well, nobody’s more frustrated than me. I might not always show it, but I’m my biggest critic and slow to compliment myself.”

There was plenty to praise from the win over the Falcons as the run blocking was much better thanks in part to the return of tight end George Kittle and McCaffrey was delivering the big plays that had been lacking.

He has seven carries of at least 10 yards — one more than his total from the first six games combined — and 129 yards overall on the ground for his biggest output since he had 145 against Seattle in Week 14 of the 2023 season.

"When we’re not running the ball well, no one’s happy around here, especially Christian,” coach Kyle Shanahan said.

Getting back to that form was important to Shanahan, even through the team had won four of the first six games thanks in part to a passing attack that led the league in yards.

Repeating that the rest of the season will be important is the Niners are going to have success.

“That’s always the best way to do it to me, just running it down someone’s throat and controlling it on the other side,” Shanahan said. "But, you definitely to win consistently, you have to be able to beat people that way. That was the first time we did it this year, which I think was a good feeling for us because if you can’t win that way, it’s a matter of time before it catches up with you.”

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL