Running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk were the San Francisco 49ers' offensive workhorses during Sunday's win over the Arizona Cardinals. McCaffrey turned in a record-breaking performance, finishing the game with 20 carries for 106 yards and three touchdowns, adding seven receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown through the air.
Aiyuk had a standout game, securing six receptions for a career-high 148 yards, marking the sixth time in his career that he's reached the 100-yard mark in a game.
With so many mouths to feed on offense, some players may inevitably see fewer opportunities. For instance, tight end George Kittle was limited to one catch for nine yards. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel didn't haul in a pass, instead contributing with three carries for six yards in the 35-16 victory.
"Niners are winning the football games," Kittle said Thursday after being asked about his modest reception total against the Cardinals. "I'm playing well in the run game, and as long as I'm playing to my standard, I can only control what I can control. If Kyle's calling plays—we have six guys who, when they touch the ball, you don't know what's going to happen. They can score touchdowns, they can break tackles."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan joined Bay Area radio station KNBR on Thursday afternoon and was asked about the delicate balancing act of distributing opportunities among his playmakers. How aware is the coach of feeling out when one of his star players needs to get more involved in the offense?
"I'm very aware of it," Shanahan responded on the "Tolbert and Copes" show. "I know those guys are. We've got guys who all believe that they can affect the game because they can. We got a bunch of good players who all want to touch the ball. And I think what's good is they've all been here a while, so they kind of know how we work. The only way that we can guarantee someone gets touches is if we hand it off to them. The other way, we could call a screen so we can get it to them right away.
"But besides that, Aiyuk didn't expect to have those exact balls. It's just where do the coverages go, and that's what's been so great about [QB] Brock [Purdy], that he's not just forcing anything into double coverage, usually, or things like that. He's just reading the coverage and letting it go. And when you've got guys at all three levels, whether it's a fast guy deep, a really good guy over the middle, and a hell of a checkdown guy underneath, I mean, those are three issues."
The 49ers offense is averaging the second-most total yards per game (398.0). Only the Miami Dolphins have amassed more. The team ranks third in both rushing yards per game (153.0) and average points scored (31.2).
"I feel we've got guys who can go down the field," Shanahan continued. "I feel like we've got guys who are fearless going over the middle. And I think when it comes to our guys hitting them on a checkdown, that's usually about running in the open field. And I think we got the best running back on checkdowns, the best receivers to catch checkdowns and run, and the best tight end to catch a checkdown and run.
"A checkdown means you are last in the progression, and sometimes that's the best play for someone like Deebo or Kittle because when they get those underneath, that's when you guys see them really make some big plays."