49ers-Vikings Preview: To CMC, or Not to CMC?

That is the question.

Ted Hazelrig | Oct 23, 2023

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San Francisco 49ers

If you think that the 49ers need Christian McCaffrey now, just wait until the playoffs! He is the engine that makes Kyle Shanahan's system roar, with 133 touches in just six games. The next highest is Deebo Samuel with only 38 touches. Kyle Shanahan has been unable to resist using McCaffrey heavily thus far this season. Now is the time. McCaffrey probably needed to rest, even without being injured, but now he has a torn oblique. Shanahan needs to protect McCaffrey from himself and from teams that have committed dangerous facemask penalties against him in the past three consecutive games. Forcing McCaffrey to rest won't be easy, but being an NFL coach was never supposed to be easy. Time for you to stand up, Kyle!

With Samuel ruled out and Trent Williams doubtful for the Vikings game, sitting McCaffrey could cause the 49ers to lose to Minnesota, that's OK. It's better to lose the battle, in order to win the war.

If the 49ers manage to win without their three best players on offense, a fringe benefit would be that Brock Purdy might finally be able to silence some of his critics who say he is just a system quarterback who can't succeed without the best group of weapons in football.

The Vikings will be without their super star receiver Justin Jefferson, who is arguably the best in football. Edge Marcus Davenport, who excels at both pass rushing and run defense, is also on injured reserve.

Jaylon Moore will play in place of Trent Williams at left tackle for the 49ers. Ray-Ray McCLoud is likely to get some of Samuel's reps. Hopefully, we will get to see more of Ronnie Bell in the game tonight.. Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason should get more work than usual. The 49ers should win the game, but I don't predict that they will score over 30 points or win by a large margin. My official score prediction is 49ers 24 - Vikings 17.

Published Oct 23, 2023

TED HAZELRIG

Ted Hazelrig grew up on the mid peninsula in the '70s and '80s and is a life-long, rabid 49ers fan from prior to Eddie DeBartlolo Jr., Joe Montana and Bill Walsh, all the way through to the present. He is a graduate of Santa Clara University, who enjoys golf, biking, hiking, tennis and water/snow skiing. He was a 49ers season ticket holder at Candlestick Park and still attends several games every season at Levi's Stadium. His career has been as a tech recruiter, but he would like nothing more than to pivot into covering the 49ers on a full-time basis. He loves to read, watch and listen to all the brilliant 49ers content creators. To take his knowledge to the ultimate extreme, he has found that arguing with passionate and knowledgeable fans of both the 49ers and opposing teams really puts his knowledge over the top. Right now, his most hated team is the Seattle Seahawks. For many years it was the Troy Aikman led Dallas Cowboys and for a while the Brett Favre led Packers. The Patrick Mahomes led Chiefs are his most-hated AFC team. Ted's second-favorite team is the Josh Allen led Buffalo Bills. While he may like other teams, Ted is passionate about the 49ers. He endeavors to always be honest, polite, not profane and never get personal. He got his break covering the 49ers for @49ersHive and also has written some articles for @49ersCap. You can find him at @TedH6 on twitter, or Ted Talks Ball on YouTube and other platforms. Ted is thrilled to join Grant Cohn and his extremely talented team at @All49ersFN.