The San Francisco 49ers are rolling at 7-1, coming off a big 38-17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders last weekend, as they set up for the second half of the year.
San Francisco’s offense has been the story, with Brock Purdy being a top MVP candidate, while the 49ers rank third in points per game. Mike Evans has been a godsend for the passing attack, but San Francisco has also been running the ball much more efficiently this year.
Christian McCaffrey and Kaelon Black are both averaging 4.5 yards per carry,
while the team ranks seventh in the NFL with 135.3 rushing yards per game. The 49ers have also been the seventh-most efficient team, averaging 4.6 yards per carry on the ground.
From an EPA perspective, the 49ers are third in EPA per rush and first in rushing success rate. They’ve completely flipped things around from the 2025 season, where the run game was a bit of a struggle, even with a healthy Christian McCaffrey.
A big part of the success has been 38-year-old star left tackle Trent Williams. The 49ers are averaging 5.9 yards running behind the left tackle and 4.8 yards to the left end behind Williams. Then, there’s the pass protection, which has been a big strength for the 49ers this year.
Remember, the 49ers didn’t allow a sack over the first four weeks of the season. They’ve allowed just eight on the whole year. Williams has allowed just eight pressures and one sack this season, while being fully healthy at 38 years old.
The superstar left tackle has enjoyed a number of extremely good seasons in the NFL, with the 2021 campaign being the most notable. Since joining the 49ers in 2020, he’s been a three-time First Team All-Pro, while also earning five Pro Bowl nods and one Second Team All-Pro honor.
And yet, this could be his best season yet, despite him being 38 years old. Williams was ESPN’s Protector of the Year a quarter way through the season in Bill Barnwell’s awards. And he feels like the clear frontrunner for the award at the midway point.
What has Kyle Shanahan seen from his left tackle this season?
“He’s playing damn good,” Shanahan said on Wednesday. “I mean, stat-wise, probably statistically and things like that, I’d say yes, [it’s the best year of his career]. He’s playing at a real high level. It’s hard to compare Pro Bowl years to other Pro Bowl years, but he’s playing at a very high level.”
Last week, offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak was asked about Williams’s excellence at 38 years old, and he broke down how rare of a player the star left tackle was.
“Yeah, I don’t know how to explain it,” Kubiak said of Williams’s level of play at his age. “It’s why he’s the best. Trent’s got his way of preparing. A way of getting his body ready and his mind ready to play football games every week that’s unlike anyone I’ve been around. The way that he goes out there on Wednesdays and he practices, and he goes through his routine. He gets himself ready to play, and he knows what it takes to get himself ready.
“He’s continuing to play at a very, very high level. To me, he’s still the best offensive lineman in the league, and to me, that’s a credit to his process and the way he approaches the game mentally and his love of the game. He’s a great teammate. Just all around, everything he does to get ready to play football games and to be the best for his team, is exceptional. To me, it’s what makes him so rare.”
Williams is likely reaching retirement at some point over the next few years. But you’d never be able to guess that from his level of play this season.
