The San Francisco 49ers got a little closer to finishing Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when running back Christian McCaffrey returned to the lineup.
It wasn't a perfect day for the 49ers' offense, but McCaffrey looked mostly like himself and had an immediate impact on San Francisco.
McCaffrey played 89 percent of the offensive snaps according to Dave Richard of CBS Sports. He managed 39 rushing yards on 13 carries and caught six of his seven targets for 68 yards.
The 49ers' offensive line had some issues with Tampa Bay's defensive line, resulting in a handful of carries where McCaffrey didn't have much room.
Despite the lack of rushing production, McCaffrey's presence in the passing game made life easier for quarterback Brock Purdy, who fed McCaffrey a handful of checkdown throws rather than running off or forcing a throw into a tight window at the end of the field.
He was also the recipient of a big performance in the fourth quarter. With the 49ers trailing 17-13, McCaffrey was one-on-one in coverage and had a step on his defender. Purdy was under pressure and had to throw early. He threw a pass into the box in front of McCaffrey, allowing the RB to race underneath for a 30-yard completion.
This was the type of game the 49ers couldn't play with Jordan Mason or Isaac Guerendo. And even if they had, Purdy probably wouldn't have had the confidence that either of them would complete a throw the way he did.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the game that McCaffrey also played through the game without any issues.
“He turned out great, that was huge,” Shanahan said. “We knew it would be difficult to manage him. I think everyone in the media says, 'I'm just saying not to play him so much.' We did that in the first half, we did a few series and stuff, in the second half it got away from us a little bit . We only had one drive in the entire third quarter – we didn't have that many possessions and we didn't shut him down in the fourth quarter and he didn't need to be shut down. When we talked to him he felt great. I’ll be thrilled to have him back next week.”
San Francisco isn't out of the woods just because McCaffrey returned. They still struggled in the red zone, an area the reigning Offensive Player of the Year believes should help. He didn't play much of a role there and Guerendo even took a few snaps from the red zone.
The 49ers and McCaffrey need to sort that out. For now, they benefited enough from his return to earn a win in Tampa Bay. If they want to make the playoffs this season, they may need even more.