There were already some of the league’s top offensive players on the San Francisco 49ers.
Then, by acquiring Christian McCaffrey—possibly the most potent offensive weapon in football—they fed that fire even more.
In his first few months in the Bay Area, McCaffrey had a fantastic season finale, but in his first full season with the Niners, he has excelled even more.
For this reason, HC Without hesitation, Kyle Shanahan referred to him as the best offensive player he had ever coached:
Shanahan told Greg Papa, “He’s had the best year as an offensive player that I’ve been a part of” (via 49ers on NBC Sports). “Christian has exceeded our expectations in every way that we have asked. The ball has been handed to him and thrown to him. He’s excellent when we pass the ball to others and he has to block or simply keep acting as a distraction or a ruse.
Truth be told, it’s hard to argue with that statement.
Despite not participating in the season finale, McCaffrey will conclude the campaign as the leader in run attempts (272), rushing yards (1,459), and touchdowns scored on the ground.
In case that wasn’t enough, the former standout player for the Carolina Panthers has 67 receptions for 564 yards and seven more touchdowns on 83 targets.
McCaffrey’s dual-threat skill set has given Shanahan plenty to work with.
He can set him up wherever on the field, and since he can break a tackle and gain many yards after the catch with every play, defenses simply have to pay close attention to him.
Because of all the defensive attention he receives, having him out there has also given Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Brandon Aiyuk a lot of open looks.
If McCaffrey stays healthy, the Niners appear to be the greatest team in the NFC right now and should always be able to defeat any club.
