The San Francisco 49ers offense will be the first to face the new-look Los Angeles Rams defense that will feature Myles Garrett and the return of Aaron Donald. As a result, the Niners’ offensive line will have a major challenge.
Moreover, Christian McCaffrey will be hoping that the 49ers’ offensive line can win in the trenches, especially against Donald, as the veteran defensive tackle can take away the running lanes up the middle.
Ahead of the Week 1 game against the Rams on Sept. 10 in Australia, McCaffrey spoke about having to face Donald again, who 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan expects to play despite Los Angeles not yet confirming that the veteran will get the green light in this contest.
“He’s a force, man,” McCaffrey told reporters on Sept. 7 in Australia. “He’s such a good player. Has been his entire career. When you’re going through the scouting report, you got to know where he is. You got to know where 95 is.
“But their defense as a whole, I think what makes them good is when they commit, they play well together. And obviously, him being one of the focal points of that is somebody you definitely got to plan for.”
Last season for the Niners, McCaffrey played 931 total snaps, earning a 78.3 overall PFF grade. On the ground, the veteran running back carried the ball 311 times for 1,202 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Moreover, he averaged 3.9 yards per attempt on the ground and forced 47 missed tackles as a runner.
Meanwhile, as a receiver, McCaffrey caught 102 passes on 121 targets for 924 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
Christian McCaffrey on 49ers Staff Helping Overcome Jet Lag
Despite opening the season in Australia and having to deal with jet lag and time zone differences, McCaffrey noted that the 49ers did everything possible to ensure this wasn’t an issue for him and his teammates.
“The staff did such a good job giving us a great plan for traveling here and the first couple of days back,” McCaffrey added. “They’ve done a great job. I think everybody feels pretty great. I can’t imagine it being more detailed than what they gave us.
“There were big packets on the plane, different supplements to take at different hours, different sleep suggestions, when to stay up during the day, when to go to bed. They answered any questions you think you would have had in these packets and were really prepared.”
Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw Get Strong Words for Rams Game
While the Niners will need McCaffrey to have a big game to get a win over the Rams, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Jennifer Lee Chan explained why these two need to elevate their game for San Francisco to start the season 1-0.
“Nick Bosa is going to play as well, but what does that mean? That means a lot of the responsibility falls on Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw,” Lee Chan said in a Sept. 5 video on her YouTube channel. “Now, this could be a really great thing because they are back together and they communicate without talking.
“But this game, the defense, it really does fall on Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw being back together again… They’re relying on [Bosa] a lot to play edge and get after the quarterback, but really this game relies so heavily on the ability of Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw to pick up where they left off from 2024.”
Christian McCaffrey Gets Blunt on Aaron Donald Before 49ers-Rams