The 49ers have built a contender through unconventional means. In an NFL dominated by quarterback play where teams will bend over backwards trying to find a superstar at the position, San Francisco has managed to make consecutive NFC championship game trips without an elite QB. Part of the reason they’ve been able to do that is the strong stable of playmakers they’ve accumulated. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell ranked that group No. 1 in the NFL.
San Francisco’s lineup of Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle are all outstanding players on their own. Plugging them into head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense is what makes the sum of those parts a nightmare for defenses no matter who’s under center for San Francisco.
Samuel, Aiyuk and Kittle have been around for the 49ers and were all treemendous playmakers before last season. What elevates the group to the top of the NFL though, and what gives the 49ers the chance to buck the trend of elite QBs winning Super Bowls, is McCaffrey.
Barnwell highlighted the running back’s impact in his 10 games with the 49ers in 2022:
The Panthers actually improved on offense after they moved on from McCaffrey, but the star back gave coach Kyle Shanahan another torture device to use on the league’s linebackers. McCaffrey averaged just under 2.0 yards per route run with a 26.6% target rate after joining the 49ers, which is right about what Garrett Wilson did over the same time frame as a receiver for the Jets. McCaffrey threw in 159 carries for 746 yards as a bonus.
While the discussion around the 49ers’ offense centers on the quarterback situation and Brock Purdy’s health, the real key for San Francisco will be their playmakers.
If they can keep McCaffrey and the rest healthy for the entire season it may not ultimately matter who’s playing quarterback. This group of skill position players was built to make life easy on the QB, and there’s no better group to do that in the NFL.
