The San Francisco 49ers won an overtime thriller against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.
However, an issue has become even more glaring in their backfield as running back Brian Robinson has not done much of anything.
General manager John Lynch swung a trade for Robinson during the preseason as it became apparent that the running back situation was untenable. Guys were going down left and right, and it was evident he had to make a move prior to the regular season to ensure there was adequate depth behind Christian McCaffrey.
Lynch made a deal with the Washington Commanders for Robinson, hoping he could be an effective back who could come in and give McCaffrey a spell every now and then.
Robinson has been able to spell McCaffrey, but he has not been effective at all.
In five games this season, Robinson has run the ball 27 times for 108 yards on the ground. That isn’t much, as he has struggled to break anything off for big gains and has made it more difficult for head coach Kyle Shanahan to keep McCaffrey off the field.
To be fair to Robinson, he has never been thought of as an explosive runner. He has always been more of a power running back who is counted on in short-yardage situations.
Still, the Niners must be wishing they were getting more out of him early on.
It is not all Robinson’s fault. The rushing game as a whole has been paltry this season for San Francisco. McCaffrey has been very limited on the ground, doing most of his damage as a receiver. The most yards McCaffrey has had on the ground so far was in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks with 69 yards.
Astonishingly, San Francisco has still yet to record a rushing touchdown on the season. Yet, the team is 4-1 on the year and is 3-0 against the NFC West.
Football never ceases to amaze, does it?
It isn’t clear how San Francisco can remedy its issues on the ground. There are no quick fixes, but maybe trying some other options in the backfield could at least shake things up as the team tries to garner different results.
Thus far, the acquisition of Robinson looks like a bit of a bust. But there is still time for him, and the rushing attack as a whole, to turn things around the rest of this season.
