With the weather in Cleveland expected to be very inclement, the 49ers will likely lean heavily on the run game as they aim to move to 9-4 by beating the Browns.
That’s good news for Christian McCaffrey, who can expect to receive an even greater share of the offensive touches than he consistently gets as the focal point of the 49er attack.
With throwing the ball potentially difficult, the 49ers facing Myles Garrett, and Brock Purdy coming off a three-interception showing on Monday, McCaffrey will almost certainly receive a huge amount of carries and lots of targets on short passes.
As such, McCaffrey is in an excellent position to write another page in the history books in a remarkable season for the running back.
McCaffrey has 10 games with at least five receptions and 100 scrimmage yards this season, the most in the league.
He has 53 for his career and, with another such effort against Cleveland, will tie Marshall Faulk for the most games with five receptions and 100 scrimmage yards by a player in his first nine seasons in NFL history.
In addition, McCaffrey is tied for the second-most games with at least 50 receiving yards by a running back in league history. He can break the tie with Faulk on Sunday and move just four games behind Larry Centers (55).
McCaffrey’s outstanding talents as a runner and receiver have kept the 49ers in the thick of the playoff race. He is on course for a second season with 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards and, considering the weather and the pass-rushing strength of the opponent, a strong performance that sees McCaffrey add another historic achievement to his outstanding resume will be even more important than usual.
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