The 49ers are getting somewhere fast this season behind the exploits of an unheralded group of running backs that other teams throughout the NFL weren’t even willing to give a chance as they attempted to break into the league earlier this decade.
But a triple-threat combination punch featuring the explosive bursts of Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert and the powerful plunges of Jeff Wilson — all of them undrafted players signed by the 49ers as free agents before their rookie seasons — is showing everybody now.
These guys, obviously, were born to run. They have been on a rushing rampage since the start of this season while energizing San Francisco’s offense and punishing opponents as the 49ers dashed through the middle of October as the only undefeated team in the NFC — joining defending Super Bowl champion New England as one of only two unbeaten teams in the NFL.
And, when season-opening starter Tevin Coleman returned in October after San Francisco’s bye week from a Week 1 ankle injury, it simply pushed San Francisco’s running game over the top. The 49ers entered Week 6 averaging an even 200 yards per game rushing, giving them the NFL’s No. 1-ranked rushing attack to provide vital lifeblood for the league’s No. 4ranked offense.
“They are the best running team in the National Football League right now,” said Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald, the NFL’s two-time defending Defensive Player of the Year, whose team couldn’t stop San Francisco in Week 6 as the 49ers improved to 5-0 by beating the Rams 20-7 — with both of San Francisco’s touchdowns coming on the ground.
The 49ers have become the best by hitting opponents from all angles with the diverse talents of the four running backs who have lined up behind three-time Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk this season.
This story is from the November 2019 edition of Niner Report.
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This story is from the November 2019 edition of Niner Report.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
EIGHT IS ENOUGH
Set 49ers lineup still has several new starters
Calling all cornerbacks
Loss of Verrett exposes 49ers’ thin depth at CB
Always finding their way to run
49ers system accomplished at developing homegrown talent
ANOTHER COMEBACK?
Resilient veteran Verrett to miss rest of season
TOP 10 Rookie running backs
THE BACK LIST
STOCK UP STOCK DOWN
DEOMMODORE LENOIR | AMBRY THOMAS
Will Mostert run for 49ers again?
Raheem Mostert was primed this year to be the centerpiece of one of the NFL’s most dynamic offenses, featured as the lead performer in San Francisco’s grinding rushing attack while making his climb among the league’s top running backs.
THE WONDER OF WARNER
49ers make All-Pro star highest-paid LB in NFL
Making the right choice at QB
In the weeks that follow after you read this — and perhaps sometime even sooner than that — Kyle Shanahan and the rest of the 49ers organization will make a titanic decision that will have present, future and perhaps even everlasting implications for the franchise. It will chart the course for the team’s pivotal 2021 season while determining whether San Francisco really does have the juice to return to powerhouse status and again be considered a legitimate contender to get back to the Super Bowl.
TOP 10 Linebacker seasons
Fred Warner vaulted to stardom with a spectacular 2020 season — and the 49ers rewarded him this summer with a $95.225 million deal that makes him the highest-paid inside linebacker in NFL history. By today’s standards, Warner’s performance last year was worth the money as he posted an Approximate Value of 19 — matching the highest score ever recorded by a San Francisco defender according to a Pro Football Reference formula that puts a single number on each player-season across all positions since 1960. Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman (twice) also had seasons with an AV of 19 as they dominate this list of the greatest individual seasons by a linebacker in 49ers history.
