Why the 49ers have struggled to run the ball through two weeks

This is interesting.

Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Through two weeks of play, the San Francisco 49ers' offensive line has been a mixed bag. A recent review of some of the key offensive line advanced metrics paints a strong picture of what they are bringing. 

San Francisco 49ers offensive line has defined strength and weakness

As of now, the offensive line can protect the passer. They rank third in pressure rate allowed, and they rank 10th in pass block win rate. All of the Mac Jones sacks were due to him holding the ball, and Brock Purdy was relatively clean in Week 1. 

Key offensive line stats: pic.twitter.com/lDjaqJUCg8

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The issue comes with their ability to block in the run game. They rank 25th in yards before contact per carry. They rank 30th in stuffed rate and they ran 25th in run block win rate. By all accounts, they are not getting the push. 

However, if you are a 49ers fan, and you could have it one way, that would probably be the case. 

San Francisco has not been elite at running the football, but when they have needed to, they have been able to run it. Christian McCaffrey has a 51% success rate on the ground, which is just a touch above his career rate of 50%. 

It has not been pretty, but he has been able to eke out the yards based on how talented he is. The combination of McCaffrey, the talent, and Kyle Shanahan, the play caller, can bail the team out in a lot of ways in the run game. 

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Shanahan can play to his lines' weak links, and McCaffrey can grab an extra yard or two, even if that means turning one-yard gains into three. 

On the flip side, the 49ers need the pass protection to stay top ten across the board. They are on their backup quarterback; Brandon Aiyuk is out, and so is George Kittle. 

The 49ers' passing game has thrived, but a lot of what Ricky Pearsall has brought has been deep routes because the line has bought him time. If they asked Pearsall to win off the line quicker because they could not pass protect, he may not carry the group in the way that McCaffrey can in the run game. 

This does not mean the run blocking cannot improve. Dominick Puni has been banged up, Trent Williams started slow, and Jake Brendel has had moments in the run. With a new starter at left guard, they could improve here. 

Still, it is more to say that San Francisco focusing on staying strong in pass protection is more important, because until the run blocking gets going, it is not the worst weakness for this team to have.