Niners Nation
The 49ers continue to deal with injury issues at wide receiver, as they will likely again be without Ricky Pearsall as well as long-term absentee Brandon Aiyuk for the visit of the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
San Francisco’s adversity at the pass-catching spots has meant that, for most of the year, the aerial attack has centered around Christian McCaffrey.
The running back leads the 49ers in receiving yards (626) and has four receiving touchdowns, with McCaffrey maximized as a passing game easy button for Mac Jones in the absence of starting quarterback Brock Purdy.
McCaffrey is so effective in the passing game in part because head coach Kyle Shanahan does an excellent job of creating ways to get him into open space.
A key player in the creation of those open looks is fullback Kyle Juszczyk. Because of his own upside in the passing game, Juszczyk offers a rare skill set from the fullback position, and he was quietly key to McCaffrey’s production both on the ground and through the air in San Francisco’s Week 9 win over the New York Giants.
The 49ers gashed one of the worst run defenses in the NFL to the tune of 159 yards, with Juszczyk instrumental.
Juszczyk can excel as a blocker from a host of different alignments, but the 49ers leaned heavily on one look against the Giants. San Francisco consistently aligned Juszczyk just behind the line of scrimmage in a position similar to a H-back, with fullback’s body tilted slightly to the inside.
Throughout the game, the 49ers ran from this look, with Juszczyk either motioning across the formation and then blocking or winding back into an offset I formation just before the snap.
Juszczyk was extremely effective in helping create running lanes for McCaffrey and Brian Robinson when used in this fashion, so it was perhaps no surprise that, in fourth quarter with the 49ers leading 27-17 and in need of one more explosive to put away the Giants, the New York defense was completed deceived by San Francisco’s decision to call a pass from the same look.
The 49ers lined up in 22 personnel with Juszczyk aligned to the strength of the formation just behind George Kittle, again with his body turned towards the inside. Everything about the personnel and the formation said run. However, at the snap both Kittle and Juszczyk ran routes towards the middle, causing utter confusion among the Giants defenders to that side.
Kittle drew the attention of Brian Burns — who initially tried to engage with him in a block — and the boundary corner, but the play wouldn’t have worked without Juszczyk occupying the eyes of the middle linebacker. The result: McCaffrey uncovered on a wheel route up the sideline, and a lay-up for Jones. It produced a 39-yard catch-and-run, putting the 49ers in the red zone. Four plays later, McCaffrey was in the endzone and the game was over as a contest.
It was a masterful demonstration of how Shanahan shows...
