The 49ers Offense Lacks Balance

The 49ers think they have a balanced offense, but they don't. They have a run-first offense in a pass-first league. And that's a big reason why they haven't won a Super Bowl under Kyle Shanahan.

Shanahan is stuck in the past -- 1998, to be precise. That's the last season his father, Mike Shanahan, won a Super Bowl. And he won it with a run-first attack behind Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis. He was the catalyst of that Super Bowl team.

Now, quarterbacks almost always are the catalysts of championship teams. And yet, the 49ers still build their offense around their running back, Christian McCaffrey, who's wearing down.

This season, the 49ers are averaging 28.1 runs per game and 30.4 passes per game. Looks balanced. But keep in mind the 49ers currently rank dead last in passes per game, and fifth in runs per game. They're much more committed to running than other contending teams. And they're not nearly committed enough to passing.

The past nine Super Bowl champions all passed at least 35 times per game. Here are the stats:

2022 Chiefs: 37.9 passes per game.

2021 Rams: 35.7 passes per game.

2020 Buccaneers: 38.2 passes per game.

2019 Chiefs: 36.2 passes per game.

2018 Patriots: 36.8 passes per game.

2017 Eagles: 35.3 passes per game.

2016 Patriots: 36.5 passes per game.

2015 Broncos: 36.7 passes per game.

2014 Patriots: 38.6 passes per game.

That's modern football. A balanced offense in 2023 means passing the ball at least 35 times per game and running the ball just enough to keep the opposing team honest.

The 49ers have it backward.