2025 has been a bizarre season for Christian McCaffrey.
The San Francisco 49ers have been working him into the ground more than any previous season. He’s been doing it all for the offense as a running back and as a wide receiver.
However, McCaffrey has struggled immensely to be effective on the ground. He’s generated -105 rushing yards over expected this season, the fewest in the NFL by 47 yards.
McCaffrey has only put up 336 rushing yards (3.1 yards per carry) and has only busted five runs of 10 yards or more on 108 carries. The 49ers might have to start accepting the hard truth about McCaffrey.
Oct 2, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) rushes the ball against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
He has lost a step. A player of his caliber should’ve mustered at least one impressive performance on the ground by now. Yet, he hasn’t excelled in any stretch.
One significant factor could be his lack of speed. McCaffrey’s top speed as a ball carrier so far in 2025 is just 17.30 mph, which would be his slowest top speed in any season in his career, per NextGenStats.
His average speed at the line of scrimmage is just 9.41mph, 14th-slowest among 40 running backs with 40 carries or more, and his slowest by at least 0.28mph in any season since 2018.
In 2023, his 10.53mph average speed at the line was sixth-fastest among running backs with 100+ carries. This stat alone is sufficient to say that he has lost a step.
A reason to be hopeful
Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) runs after a catch against Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Yasir Abdullah (56) during the second half at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
The flip side to that is McCaffrey has struggled to run the ball because he barely gets any room to operate. Yes, his top speed is discouraging.
But how many chances has he gotten to unleash a full-speed run? His opportunities at the second level have been extremely low. That is where he showcases his speed.
The offensive line, tight ends, and wide receivers aren’t helping him out with blocks. He needs to slow-play and see his blocks get set up, then cut and go. They aren’t there for him.
McCaffrey has gained just 0.5 yards before contact (seventh-fewest) and has been stuffed for no gain or a loss on 25.0 percent of his carries (fifth-highest).
His 0.5 yards before contact per carry in 2025 is a career-low, while his 25.0 percent stuff rate is a career-high. Can you blame him for being hesitant at the line of scrimmage?
McCaffrey doesn’t trust his blocking, so he can’t play fully unleashed. Until he starts getting consistent blocking, he’s going to have to slice and dice his way at a controlled pace.
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