The San Francisco 49ers scraped by with a 23-17 win against the Washington Commanders in Week 6, pushing their record to a blistering 6-0. But don’t let that perfect start fool you, 12s, because they nearly coughed up a twenty-point lead in the second half. And get this: wide receiver Mike Evans missed the entire second half with Achilles tendonitis, which totally coincided with the Niners only putting up *three* points in the final 30 minutes, going three-and-out on their last three drives. Still, there were some big trends flexing in that win, especially on offense.
McCaffrey Carries The Load, Our D Stands Tall
While everyone’s been talking up their passing game, especially with Brock Purdy’s efficiency when Evans was in, the real story emerging over the last couple of weeks is their run game. In Week 6, the Niners posted the highest EPA per rush in the entire NFL, and their rushing success rate was a ridiculous 66.7 percent , 16 percent better than anyone else! With the pass game taking hits from injuries, Christian McCaffrey got the rock a whopping 25 times, clocking in with 16 rushes and nine targets. He racked up 117 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. And sure, his 4.0 yards per carry might not jump off the screen, but the efficiency? Stellar. What makes that even more impressive is it came against the Commanders, who were the No. 8 defense in EPA allowed per rush heading into Monday night. Remember just a week ago? Our *elite* Seattle defense held McCaffrey to 68 yards on 11 carries. Yeah, we saw him and we showed up. The Niners having this kind of ground game is coming at a crucial time for them, given their wide receiver issues.
The O-Line Steps Up: Unsung Heroes?
Everyone’s buzzing about Brock Purdy being a serious MVP contender, and for good reason, right? His decision-making has been next level all year, and he had another solid outing on Monday. But let’s talk about the offensive line. These guys have taken some serious heat over the years, but they are absolutely doing their part this season. They’ve been phenomenal in pass protection, so good that Purdy didn’t even get sacked in the first four weeks of the year! He’s taken five sacks in the last two weeks, but you could argue the two on Monday weren’t even on the O-line. Plus, we’re finally seeing that run game truly click these last two weeks, and the blocking up front has been a huge part of it. Trent Williams is playing at an elite level, and Dominick Puni has been having a quietly strong season, save for one rough week.
The Niners are rolling, but not without their bumps and bruises. Their ability to lean on the run game and their much-improved offensive line is a big reason they’re undefeated. It’s going to be interesting to see if they can maintain that efficiency, especially with those receiver issues, as the season marches on.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Niners Nation.
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