The San Francisco 49ers rank 28th in the NFL in red zone touchdown efficiency, finding the end zone on only 48.6% of their trips inside the 20. Only the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, and New York Giants have a lower success rate.
However, the 49ers have shown improvement recently, converting 61.5% of their red zone trips into touchdowns over the last three games, suggesting a positive trend. However, one Hall of Fame quarterback would like to see this percentage climb even higher.
Steve Young emphasized the importance of improving red zone efficiency when asked what the 49ers need to address in the second half of the season to boost their playoff prospects.
"It is red zone, red zone efficiency, and touchdowns," Young said Wednesday on Bay Area radio station KNBR. "And just think it to yourself, it's not always true, but every field goal, you get closer to losing. And the second half of the season, every time we line up for a field goal, just think to yourself, we're getting closer to losing. We need seven. And in the big games, obviously, that's the difference-maker."
Young also wants to see more from Brock Purdy. He urges the 49ers quarterback to use his legs more in critical moments, improvising to make big plays and keep defenses on their toes. Doing so in the red zone, in particular, could be a game-changer. Purdy owns an 86.4 run grade from Pro Football Focus this season, which ranks fourth among all quarterbacks.
"It is red zone, red zone, red zone," Young reiterated.
The 49ers hope to return to the form that made them so dangerous in the red zone last season when they scored touchdowns on 68% of their trips, the highest in the league. The team is optimistic that running back Christian McCaffrey's return will provide the spark needed to regain that efficiency.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will host the 49ers at Raymond James Stadium this weekend.
You can listen to Young's entire interview below.