Matt Breida
It was a second successive 100-yard game for Breida, who gashed the Buccaneers for 106 yards on the ground as the running back. The undrafted free agent in 2017, continues to excel as the feature back in the absence of coveted free-agent acquisition Jerick McKinnon.
The foot quickness, burst, speed, and power that continues to surprise people were all on display. He averaged 7.6 yards per carry while also hauling in three catches for 34 yards.
His most impressive work came on the 49ers’ single touchdown drive of the day, where he gained 11 and 21 yards on successive carries.
On the former attempt, Breida demonstrates excellent vision, and stop-start quickness on a stretch run to the left side to move the sticks. He does an outstanding job of spotting a crease where center Weston Richburg has cleared a path and then gears down before quickly accelerating and bursting upfield to get to the second level.
On the next play, Breida shows off his contact balance, staying on his feet as he fights through an arm tackle on a toss to the right to get the 49ers into the red zone, setting them up for a final touchdown throw from Nick Mullens to Dante Pettis.
With McKinnon out Breida has been able to showcase the full extent of a skill set that has helped post an average of 5.8 yards per rush (tied for second-best in the league). Kyle Shanahan has previously said he wanted to get McKinnon and Breida on the field at the same time this year. Robbed of that opportunity in 2018, Breida’s performances as the lead guy should give the 49ers head coach extreme confidence that doing so in 2019 will yield great success.
