Top 5 Rushing Matchups
San Francisco vs. Las Vegas
The biggest question in this matchup is whether Christian McCaffrey will be on the field for it. He's been dealing with a hamstring strain since leaving briefly in the Week 7 loss at Atlanta, and although head coach Kyle Shanahan called it mild and the bye week gave him extra time to heal, McCaffrey didn't practice on Wednesday. Shanahan said he's hopeful McCaffrey will get a chance to go on Thursday, and McCaffrey himself said he expects to have a chance to practice this week and play Sunday, so the Thursday and Friday reports will be the ones to watch. When he's been on the field, he's been as productive as ever near the goal line, with 389 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 84 carries to go with 34 catches for 251 yards. The 49ers average 127.4 rushing yards per game, eighth in the league, this sets up the type of game script where whoever is carrying the ball should see plenty of volume in the second half. Left tackle Trent Williams sat out Wednesday as a rest day, not an injury, so the line should be intact. This is an offensive line that has been great this season, as it has risen up to number four in Matt Bitonti’s offensive line rankings. Even if McCaffrey does play, he likely will concede some volume to Kaelon Black as he has for most of the season, but this is a game in which the 49ers are facing the reeling Raiders and should have a second-half lead that can limit the amount of touches that McCaffrey does end up seeing.
Las Vegas has one of the worst run defenses in the league, and Sunday's win over the Jets didn't change that. The Raiders rank 31st against the run, allowing 146.4 rushing yards per game, and New York ran for 166 yards at 6.1 yards per carry, with Braelon Allen going for 121 yards on 18 carries in the first half alone. That came against a defense that had already given up 1,005 rushing yards through seven games and allowed both Kyren Williams and Blake Corum to run for more than 90 yards the week before. The problems start up front, where offenses have been chipping or doubling Maxx Crosby on a third of his snaps and leaving tackles Adam Butler and Tonka Hemingway to win their own matchups, and the interior depth is banged up again, with Thomas Booker IV (ankle) and Foley Fatukasi (shoulder/elbow) both limited on Wednesday. This is a defense that invested heavily in the front seven in the offseason and it just has not worked. Defensive end Kwity Paye has been a disaster opposite of Crosby, while Quay Walker who the team signed from Green Bay this offseason has been among the worst linebackers in the NFL. Las Vegas is going to have to figure something out quick, as this is a team that is absolutely falling apart after a 3-0 start as they’ve allowed five 90+ yard runners over their last five games