The most surprising aspect of the 49ers dominating Week 16 win

Who saw this coming?

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Brock Purdy was expected to have a big game for the San Francisco 49ers against the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts were missing multiple cornerbacks and their pass defense was already their weakness.

However, what made the 49ers so unstoppable, and what may be the difference for the offense was actually the run game. 

San Francisco 49ers get their best rushing performance of the season at Indianapolis Colts

Entering the week the Colts were around 12th when it came to run defense. They were not elite, but this was certainly the strength of their defense. Beyond that, they were getting DeForest Buckner back, and he is obviously an important helper to the run defense. That did not seem to matter. 

Christian McCaffrey ripped off 117 yards on 21 carries. He has only gone over 100 yards twice this season, and this was his highest yards per carry amongst those games. Even in the only game where he had a higher yard per rush, it was a much worse rushing defense. His 24-yard rush was the longest of the season. Overall, this was his most productive performance of the season. 

Brian Robinson added 20 yards on five carries. 

Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The 49ers' rushing attack has not been good enough all season. Whether it was the blocking, the scheme, McCaffrey lacking burst, or being exhausted from carrying the passing game, things were not clicking. The 49ers were not nearly firing on all cylinders, and their offense was just getting by more than actually dominating games. Now, the offense seems to have legitimate firepower. 

This could be what makes the 49ers unstoppable. It helps that Brock Purdy was playing excellently as well. Typically, teams will load up to stop McCaffrey and dare the quarterback to beat them. Purdy was making plays and forcing the defense to respect. The result is lighter boxes and more holes for McCaffrey to run through with ease. 

It is great that the 49ers offense can throw on teams and can go back and forth, but to win in the playoffs they will need to control the clock and get key first downs that put the game away. That means having a legitimate rushing attack that can let the defense rest and not have them on the field needing to close games out. It took until Week 16, but we may finally have evidence that this group can do that when it matters most.