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The San Francisco 49ers are averaging 139.6 rushing yards per game, ranking them third in the NFL. Not only have they become the first team this season to clinch a playoff berth, but they also find themselves in the prime position for home-field advantage in the playoffs. Additionally, a victory this weekend would clinch the NFC West title.
A significant contributor to the team's success is Christian McCaffrey. The talented running back exploded in Week 1 with an NFL-leading 152 rushing yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers. McCaffrey never relinquished the lead, currently besting all running backs with 1,177 rushing yards this season, becoming the first 49ers player to surpass 1,000 rushing yards since Frank Gore in 2014.
McCaffrey is on pace to finish the season with an impressive 1,539 rushing yards. Surprisingly, he has never led the NFL in rushing. However, this season presents an opportunity for that to change.
If McCaffrey maintains his lead over the next four games, he could become the league's first wire-to-wire rushing champion since Emmitt Smith achieved the feat in 1995, marking the last time a player led the league in rushing throughout the entire season.
The closest competition to McCaffrey is Raheem Mostert of the Miami Dolphins, who has yet to surpass 1,000 yards. McCaffrey holds a substantial 253-yard lead over him.
As long as McCaffrey maintains his pace, he should have no problem becoming the fourth wire-to-wire rushing leader since at least 1970, joining Smith, Walter Payton (1977), and O.J. Simpson (1973, 1975).
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