The cliché that running backs don't matter in the NFL anymore -- meaning one player at that particular position is unlikely to make a significant impact with the league becoming one based on passing -- may hold some merit. However, that isn't the case when it comes to Christian McCaffrey and the San Francisco 49ers. They are a perfect 9-0 following his addition to their starting lineup.

The 49ers' brain trust of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch sent a boatload of picks to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for the All-Pro running back -- 2023 second-, third- and fourth-round selections, plus a fifth-round pick in 2024 -- all while absorbing McCaffrey's $16 million average annual salary, the highest at his position, prior to their Week 7 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Their acquisition of the 26-year-old has saved the 49ers' season, rocket-launching them from 3-4 and struggling to stay afloat to 12-4 and in contention for the NFC's top seed and only first-round bye entering Week 18 since he joined the starting lineup in Week 8. The nine-game winning streak is San Francisco's longest in a single season under Kyle Shanahan since he became their head coach in 2017, and the fifth-such winning streak of nine or more games in team history. Each of the first four occurrences ended in at least an NFC Championship appearance with two resulting in taking the Lombardi Trophy back to Northern California in the 1984 and 1994 seasons.

The 49ers averaged 20.7 points per game in Weeks 1-7, which ranked 20th in the NFL. Since McCaffrey joined their starting lineup in Week 8, San Francisco has averaged the second-most points per game (29.7) in the league over that time.

After the Niners' Week 17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, rookie quarterback Brock Purdy -- the team's starter since Week 14 following Jimmy Garoppolo's foot injury -- noted McCaffrey as the first player defenses have to account for when game-planning to slow down the 49ers.

"It goes back to all the playmakers that we have, guys have to dial things up to stop Christian, then George [Kittle], BA [Brandon Aiyuk] and even Jauan [Jennings] and Ray-Ray [McCloud]," Purdy said Sunday. "Man, that's difficult. All I have to do is trust Kyle's game plan and get the ball to those guys."

McCaffrey's production this season since changing teams has made Lynch and Shanahan look like geniuses since his 113.1 scrimmage yards per game with the 49ers is an increase from the 111.7 scrimmage yards per game he averaged with the Panthers. With those numbers, McCaffrey can join Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson as the only players in NFL history to average 100 or more scrimmage yards per game for two different teams in the same season. Dickerson earned First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in 1987 across his time with the Rams and Colts.

The Stanford alum has been on a tear of late as a featured part of Shanahan's offense with five consecutive games scoring a touchdown and four in a row with a rushing touchdown. Thanks to his latest performance in the 49ers' 37-34 overtime victory at the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 19 -- 121 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on 19 carries as well as 72 receiving yards on six catches -- McCaffrey has rushed for over 100 yards in three of his last four games and now has 12 scrimmage touchdowns this season, his most in a season since a league-leading 19 in 2019.

The Stanford alum has been on a tear of late as a featured part of Shanahan's offense with five consecutive games scoring a touchdown and four in a row with a rushing touchdown. Thanks to his latest performance in the 49ers' 37-34 overtime victory at the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 19 -- 121 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on 19 carries as well as 72 receiving yards on six catches -- McCaffrey has rushed for over 100 yards in three of his last four games and now has 12 scrimmage touchdowns this season, his most in a season since a league-leading 19 in 2019.

Doing It All

McCaffrey's output has been timely in addition to just filling up the stat sheet. He took a screen pass with under three minutes remaining in a 27-27 game in the fourth quarter against the Raiders and utilized great vision and patience to set up blocks en route to a 38-yard gain that set up the go-ahead, 14-yard touchdown run by rookie backup running back Jordan Mason with 2:17 left in regulation. That play ensured San Francisco wouldn't be in a position to lose on Sunday even if its top-ranked scoring defense surrendered a touchdown on the final possession, which it did.

"Honestly, they brought an all-out blitz, so I knew I had to look a little quicker, Brock did a great job getting the ball off, and [Dane] Brunskill made a great block," McCaffrey said Sunday. "After that, I just saw red and [thought to] go get as many yards as I can."

"He [McCaffrey] was great, we need it," 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said Sunday. "That screen at the end was huge. He had a real good one earlier that got called back when we had one of our guys downfield. I thought he ran hard. … Christian has done some great things, helping us in the run and pass game. I feel very fortunate to have him."

McCaffrey has helped in the passing game just as much as anyone in San Francisco since he has been targeted on 22.8 percent of the 49ers' passing attempts since he began starting for them in Week 8, which is tied for the team lead in that span with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. McCaffrey's team target percentage of 22.8 percent is tied for 22nd in the entire NFL since Week 8, and he is the only running back in the top 40 in that metric.

It makes sense that Shanahan and Purdy look to feature McCaffrey with regularity through the air out of the backfield since he moves the chains for first downs on his routes at a rate in line with arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL. The 49ers running back has earned a first down on 10.3 percent of his pass routes since Week 8, the same percentage as Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams, the NFL's leader in receiving touchdowns with 14 in that span. The average percentage for running backs this season is 4.8%.

Making History

Through 16 games played this season and with one more to go, McCaffrey has 1,094 rushing yards and 707 receiving yards, his third career season with more than 1,000 yards on the ground and more than 700 yards through the air. Only Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk has more such seasons with four. The all-purpose back also surpassed 49ers legend Roger Craig for the most catches through a running back's first six seasons in NFL history as his six catches gave him 439 career receptions, five more than the 434 Craig had from 1983-1988.

In Craig's first six seasons, he was a part of three 49ers Super Bowl championship teams, including the Super Bowl XXIII championship team, to cap his sixth NFL season in 1988. If McCaffrey continues to perform at this current level, the 49ers could make more history in his sixth season with a sixth Super Bowl title, which would be tied for the most by any team, joining the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots. Read More