Impact of Christian McCaffrey's Absence on the Niners

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00:00According to a lot of people, the Niners' most valuable player is now out for the next

00:11four games, and who knows when he's going to be back beyond that.

00:14Again, we'll talk to Doc.

00:15We've got a lot of big things to talk about today.

00:17The Niners hardly any movement.

00:19So again, in one hand, I have to listen to McCaffrey, the most valuable player over Brock

00:22Purdy.

00:23And on the other hand, the Niners are fine because he's a running back here, Donnie.

00:27Let's just key in on this.

00:29The gap between San Fran, who is half the number of anybody else in this conference,

00:34is that correct or is that wrong?

00:37It's hard to say because what's clouding our vision, I guess you could say, Kevin, is the

00:40week one win.

00:41And it's like, okay, McCaffrey's not there.

00:43They smoked the Jets.

00:44Many think we'll be a playoff team in the AFC and chance for maybe win the AFC East.

00:49That's what we're worried about.

00:50But also, we can't understand the fact, and I understand people say, hey, look, running

00:54backs don't matter.

00:55You can interchange them.

00:57Quite frankly, it's not a great argument for me based on week number one of what Jordan

01:00Mason came in to do and say, well, I don't even know if McCaffrey could do any better.

01:03But the one thing we do know is, you've watched Christian McCaffrey in that offense for basically

01:06the last two years.

01:07He has been absolutely phenomenal, particularly in the passing game.

01:10You're telling me that that elite wide receiver crew and also tight end and then McCaffrey

01:14swinging out into the backfield for passes left and right four to five yards where he

01:17can probably take it the distance?

01:19That's what I'm trying to weigh in on.

01:21But make no mistake about it, the 49ers aren't just, hey, no big deal, Christian McCaffrey's

01:25going to be out for five weeks.

01:26That will be a big deal.

01:27And it's probably going to come up tonight.

01:29Understand this.

01:30The New York Jets probably didn't know that Christian McCaffrey is going to be out.

01:33So what do they do, Joe?

01:34They said, you know what?

01:35Make sure these packages with the running backs are in.

01:36We have different defenses called, and it's sort of hard to adjust sometimes on the fly.

01:40Mason was fantastic.

01:41I doubt he is going to be 100 to what, plus 130 each and every week on the ground.

01:47That's not happening.

01:48Today, we'll find out.

01:49But for me, they're not a better football team with McCaffrey.

01:51They need him, Joe, if they want to win.

01:53Oh, absolutely.

01:54In regards to big picture, right, NFC Championship, Super Bowl, you need Christian McCaffrey in

01:59regards to that lineup.

02:00Short term, in regards to grinding out wins and getting wins on the road like they're

02:04going to have to do today against Minnesota, I think they could, you know, utilize Jordan

02:09Mason and still be fine and still potentially cover this number.

02:12Now, I will say, this game last year was one of the games where they lost to Kirk Cousins,

02:17right?

02:18He had a big performance.

02:19Would he complete 35 of 40 for over 300 yards in regards to that?

02:24And that was the game Brock Purdy got hurt and dinged up in.

02:26They're going to need the rushing attack today.

02:28They're going up against a quarterback they know well.

02:30Sam Darnold went up against that secondary.

02:33So I still give the edge defensively to San Francisco in this matchup.

02:37I would lay the 4.5, even though they're on the road.

02:41And I do feel that Darnold maybe resorts to some turnover.

02:44For my thing with the big picture end of it for the San Francisco 49ers and why I'm going

02:48to, for now at least, you know, stay cautious on this team, bearish on this team, is even

02:55at the end of the game, Trent Williams starts limping off.

02:57Like, I know he's fine.

02:58I know he's playing today.

03:00I do not believe in that offensive line one bit if Trent Williams is not there.

03:04And then you would compound that with the fact that McCaffrey is just not, is not ready

03:08to go.

03:09They absolutely handled their business against the Jets.

03:11And I think it's very on the board, if not correct, that they are the best team in the

03:17conference.

03:18I don't think they're this much better than everybody else in the conference the way they

03:22were lined last year.

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