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Christian McCaffrey IS Still RB1 over Bijan Robinson
Sunday Night Football in week 7 featured two generational-type running backs when Christian McCaffrey and the 49ers hosted Bijan Robinson and the Falcons. Through 5 games in 2025, Robinson was averaging 164.4 yards from scrimmage per game, best in league history, originally set by Priest Holmes in 2002 at 163.3 yards per game, though he only played 14 games.
Though the season is young, Robinson’s 164.4 scrimmage YPG puts him on pace to annihilate the current record of 2,509 yards set by Chris Johnson in 2009. At this pace, Bijan would finish with 2,794 yards from scrimmage.
Robinson’s explosive season has him being labeled as the best running back in the NFL, but a fully healthy Christian McCaffrey is not ready to give up that mantra just yet.
McCaffrey is still the most dynamic back in the league, with his elite abilities to run, catch passes, and pass protect, all while lining up everywhere on the field and handling a bell-cow back share of touches. Although injuries have plagued him throughout his career, his talent is undeniable. Below are three examples from his game Sunday night reflecting why he is still the best in the league.
Pass Protection
On this critical 3rd & 4 in the red zone, the 49ers expected the Falcons to bring pressure and assigned McCaffrey pass protection. Although the blitz didn’t come, he stays in to protect, then slips into a checkdown route to bail out Mac Jones, who had no open options with 8 dropping into coverage.
McCaffrey completed his assignment, then drifted to the open area in his QB’s vision, which gave Jones an easy target – on which CMC almost scored. Switching from pass pro to receiver is a talent in itself – it takes a certain feel for the game to execute it properly. An underrated elite talent of McCaffrey’s.
Rushing
Despite approaching 30 years old, McCaffrey still has the physical tools and instincts to be an elite back in the NFL. Watch above as he presses to the left side of the offense to force J.D. Bertrand (LB #40) to overcommit, opening a running lane. Once the lane opens, he bursts through the line into the secondary, where he makes Jessie Bates (S #3) miss, then finishes the run falling forward.
Instincts, vision, speed, agility, and power, all in a single 12-yard gain.
Receiving
As the son of a former NFL wide receiver, McCaffrey’s natural receiving ability comes honestly. Whether it’s out of the backfield (shown in the first video) or split out wide, his dual-threat ability is what puts him over the top as one of the best offensive weapons of this generation.
Here, he splits in a hybrid wing-back/slot position and runs a seam route, a pattern usually reserved for tight ends and big slots in the red zone, but McCaffrey’s rare talent allows him to contribute in unique ways.
He bursts into his route, reading and feeling the zone coverage, quickly fakes a flag route just enough to create space before showing himself to the QB to allow for an easy completion and creating a 1st & goal. McCaffrey possesses the receiving ability of a high-end slot receiver, making him a truly generational talent when combined with his other unique talents.
Final Thought
Bijan Robinson is just one of a few exceptional running backs in the NFL. Jahmyr Gibbs, Jonathon Taylor, and Saquon Barkley also come to mind, all of whom have particular elite skills. Still, nobody possesses elite ability at each running back skill quite like McCaffrey. The combination of his vision, instincts, speed, power, change of direction, pass protection, and receiving ability make him a true unicorn, even among the best backs in the league.
The likes of Christian McCaffrey are yet to be replicated, not even by an emerging star as talented as Bijan Robinson.
