When 49ers fans think of Christian McCaffrey's incredible on-field abilities, they likely imagine the star running back with the football in his hands.
But in McCaffrey's opinion, one of the most underappreciated aspects of his game actually helps quarterback Brock Purdy get the ball to other players rather than himself.
"I feel like for every running back, the first think you hear about when you go into the first meeting room, if you have a new coach, whatever it is, they show pass protection, and that's widely known throughout every coach I've ever had," McCaffrey recently said on the "Let's Go!" podcast, when former NFL quarterback Tom Brady asked about the most "underrated" part of the 49ers star's game.
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"If you can't pass protect, you're not going to play."
Pass protection certainly is one of a running back's less glamorous roles, but McCaffrey told Brady he takes pride in making life easier on Purdy -- even though it means he won't get the ball. It's something 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan emphasizes, too, and San Francisco's elite group of offensive weapons takes turns impacting plays for each other's benefit.
"I think that's why these individual awards [like NFL MVP], not that they don't matter, but they really don't matter to me, and it's because you have so many guys who are working together to accomplish a goal," McCaffrey continued. "And whoever ends up getting the statistics in that game just happens to get the statistics in that game. ...
"My [running backs] coach, Bobby Turner, is always like, 'It's a 7-second fist fight when you're pass protecting.' They might be bigger than you and they might have a full head of steam, but you have to find a way to not get your quarterback touched so that all the guys, all the receivers like Jauan [Jennings] and BA [Brandon Aiyuk] and Deebo [Samuel] and George [Kittle], who are blocking for you all the time, that's your chance to reward them with a pass so that they can go and get some of their shine."
San Francisco 49ers
That selfless attitude is a huge reason for the 49ers' success. Their current status as the NFC's No. 1 playoff seed certainly would have been more difficult to attain without everybody doing their part -- even if it means they lose out on their own accolades.
And even though McCaffrey is smaller than most of the defenders he goes against in pass protection, it's clear the running back doesn't back down and is confident in what he provides as a blocker.