The San Francisco 49ers are off to a hot 3-0 start to the 2026 season, securing wins over the Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, and Arizona Cardinals.
So far, it’s been their offense that’s been the story, as the 49ers have excelled behind Brock Purdy, playing mistake-free football and ranking first in the NFL (by far) in EPA per play. Their passing offense has especially come out strong, as Purdy looks like an MVP candidate, but we’re also slowly starting to see the run game built out with Christian
McCaffrey and Kaelon Black.
It isn’t a surprise that the 49ers offense has looked good. Many have under Kyle Shanahan, but this unit has looked quite elite through three weeks, and it isn’t just Purdy and the skill position players.
The offensive line has also played quite well, holding up in pass protection, while the run blocking is also starting to play out. According to Ben Baldwin’s formula, which takes into account PFF grades, blown block percentage, and pass-block win rate, the 49ers rank first in the NFL in pass protection rankings currently.
They lead the NFL in both PFF grades and blown block percentage through three weeks, and they also haven’t given up a sack. What has the coaching staff seen from that unit so far?
“I think they’ve been really good,” offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said. “We knew who four out of the five would be, I think, in general, but as far as the guard competition, we felt really good. Whoever ended up starting was going to be the right guy and play good for us. These guys have done a heck of a job through three weeks. Obviously, no sacks, but I look at that as a team stat too.
“It has a lot to do with, obviously, the O-Line, our tight ends, our backs, our quarterback, our receivers being in the right place. There’s been a little bit of luck involved. Brock’s made some great plays of making people miss. So, it’s really a team stat. It has to do with our offense being efficient and staying on track, and so far so good. Hope to keep that going.”
The 49ers are also bringing back that efficiency in the run game after struggling last season. So far, they’re averaging 5.1 yards per carry as a team, with Christian McCaffrey up at 4.7 yards per carry on 35 attempts. What has been the key to being more efficient there?
“I felt like we were really efficient running the ball, staying out of long passing situations, second and long, third and long,” Kubiak added. “In this game, it felt like maybe in the second half we got that going a little bit more. Anytime you can be efficient on first down running the ball, it’s going to help. I always talk about staying out of obvious passing situations where the D-Line can tee off, where a play caller might change up their coverages. It just gets harder when you’re in those situations, so the more efficient we can be.
“I’ve been real happy with our backs. They’ve had some good runs, but there’s been hard runs that get us four, five, six yards that maybe were blocked for three that keep us on track, get us to second and four and then maybe third and two and we have a better chance of staying on the field. Then you look at the second half last week, Christian [McCaffrey] had a 12-yard run in the fourth quarter. That’s what we’re talking about. Those just efficient grinder runs that keep you on the field and let you keep calling plays, so hopefully we keep that going.”
So far, when it comes to protection, Jake Brendel has allowed just one pressure through 163 pass-blocking reps. Dominick Puni has given up just two, while Connor Colby and Colton McKivitz have given up four each, and Trent Williams has allowed five.
The 49ers offensive line was a strength last season as well, but the run game never really got going. Now, that unit is looking like a strength again this season, and they’re near the top of the NFL in a couple of metrics so far.
