The San Francisco 49ers fell for the first time in the 2025 NFL season, losing 26-21 to the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 28 at Levi’s Stadium.
A worrying concern through four weeks of the season for the 49ers is their inability to run the football. The San Francisco rushed for 119 yards as a team in their Week 1 win over the Seattle Seahawks. However, since then, the team has yet to pass the 100 rushing yard mark.
CBS Sports NFL analyst Leger Douzable is calling out the 49ers offensive line for their inability to move the opposition and generate running lanes for either Christian McCaffrey or Brian Robinson Jr.
“I’m going to harp on something that I’ve been harping on with the San Francisco 49ers all year long, and it’s the lack of depth on the offensive line,” Douzable said on September 28 on “CBS Sports HQ.” “The offensive line has not been able to move anybody in the run game. We know what Kyle Shanahan is all about—the run.
“It sets up their entire pass game because he mirrors it right. Everything looks exactly the same to be able to throw those in-breaking routes. We know Brock Purdy is really good when it comes to timing and throwing the football in the middle of the field, but it’s hard to do that if you cannot establish the run game.”
“And at times Christian McCaffrey doesn’t look as explosive now. He looked really good catching the ball out of the backfield, but they have not been able to run the game the first four weeks of the season.”
The 49ers’ Running Numbers Aren’t Good
Since that Week 1 performance against Seattle, it’s been downhill for San Francisco in the running game. The 49ers recorded 77 rushing yards against the New Orleans Saints and 73 rushing yards against the Arizona Cardinals. Those rushing numbers slightly improved as they recorded 83 rushing yards against the Jaguars.
Moreover, McCaffrey has yet to establish himself in the run game as he’s yet to crack 100 rushing yards in a game this season. Meanwhile, Robinson Jr. has also to become impactful in the 49ers’ running game so far this season.
Can the 49ers’ Run Game Get Going?
San Francisco will have a quick turnaround as they will face the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football. Perhaps the loss to Jacksonville is a wake-up call for the 49ers to get back to basics and jumpstart their running game.
The 49ers did win two games so far this season with the rushing attack not being a significant factor. However, having Brock Purdy make 38 pass attempts leading to two interceptions isn’t ideal either, so establishing the run is crucial for Shanahan and his team.
Nonetheless, the Rams are coming off giving up only 85 rushing yards to the Indianapolis Colts in their win on September 28. As a result, Los Angeles will be looking to make life difficult for the 49ers running the ball to force Purdy to make more passes and risk potential turnovers, which is what the quarterback did against the Jaguars.