Todd Bowles: You Can’t Stop Christian McCaffrey, You Can Only Contain Him
October 11th, 2025
The key to 49ers offense.
Last week when the 49ers beat the Rams in overtime in Los Angeles, San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey didn’t go crazy, but he did just enough to do damage.
McCaffrey had 57 yards rushing and no touchdowns. But it was through the air that McCaffrey hurt the Rams. He had 82 yards receiving and a score.
And that’s what has Bucs coach Todd Bowles worried about tomorrow’s game with the 49ers.
Bowles believes McCaffrey’s YAC (yards after catch) is his true weapon. Asked how to stop McCaffrey, Bowles said you don’t, but you hope to contain him.
“I have not seen anybody stop him,” Bowles said. “You hope slow him down — you can limit the YAC, after the catch, those are the big things for him.
“He is very tough to bring down in the open field, so one guy probably is not going do it more often than not. You have a lot of guys around to the ball.”
What worries Joe is the Bucs aren’t exactly the best tackling team in the open field.
And the thing is, if the Bucs focus too much on McCaffrey, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan will scheme to spread the ball around and perhaps catch the Bucs napping.
October 11th, 2025 at 12:11 pm
Getting to the football, this why I became a Bucs fan in the era of Derrick B. I always felt like it was 12 on the field as opposed to 11,
It was a party around the football. This Def. Doesn’t have that.
We don’t set the edge well at all.
October 11th, 2025 at 12:28 pm
Get a Rugby coach. Learn how to tackle.
October 11th, 2025 at 12:29 pm
It’ll depend on LD and Dennis to contain him
October 11th, 2025 at 12:48 pm
Daryl Green … ‘We don’t set the edge well at all’.
I hadn’t heard that descriptor in a long time Daryl; had to look it up even to make sure I understood. Here’s what AI spit back:
‘Set the edge” in football means a defensive player, typically an OLB or DE, prevents the ball carrier from getting outside the DLine and forces the play back inside. The player “sets the edge” by holding their ground at the perimeter of the formation, containing the run, and creating a “logjam” so that inside-pursuing defenders can make the tackle. It can also refer to preventing a quarterback from escaping the pocket on a passing play’.
On looking back over our 5 games, this defense (OLBs probably in particular) have been doing a decent job of containment, which is the heart of ‘setting the edge’. We gave up 155 rushing yards on 24 rushes to QBs in those 5 games (6.5 YPC), but it’s a tad more complicated than that. The longest runs were 12, 19, 14 & 29 yards by the 5 QBs we’ve faced (Penix, Stroud, Taylor, Hurts, Darnold … all but one fairly movile QBs). The other way to look at those 24 runs is that we gave up 4.0 YPC on 20 of them (not too shabby) and 18.5 YPC on 4 of them (bummer).
I think we get in trouble when TB has our OLBs (and DLinemen) fall into pass coverage and that puts our containment at risk. On a number of occasions have seen some green green grass on one side with zero Bucs’ defenders in sight. And on a number of those occasions we’ve gotten burned. Maybe that’s why I still prefer the 4-3 over the 3-4. It just seems to be a simpler defense to play.
October 11th, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Remember when the bucs d swarmed to the ball?
Pepperidge Farms remembers
October 11th, 2025 at 1:01 pm
Tell that to Sapp, Nickerson, Batman Wood, or the Selmon brothers. McCafferty would get his ass handed to him in the old days when hitting in the NFL was serious business.
As far as Sunday, Bucs need to double team him and play tight coverage and protect the edge. Will they do it or play 10 yards off of him in a soft zone?
October 11th, 2025 at 1:47 pm
Swarm, be fundamental, lay the wood. McCaffrey doesn’t like to get hit a bunch. Make him earn every blade of grass. Spy Winfield on him too.
October 11th, 2025 at 1:56 pm
Tykee Smith vs Christian McCaffrey a least 50% of the game this Sunday
October 11th, 2025 at 2:04 pm
buc4evr Says:
…” Bucs need to double team him and play tight coverage and protect the edge. Will they do it or play 10 yards off of him in a soft zone?”
Those of us who recognize what Todd’s defense really is know the answer to that question.
McCaffery might set a receiving yards record for a running back tomorrow. Watch SirUh-oh trailing him with his tongue hanging out will be a common site.
October 11th, 2025 at 2:09 pm
ANTOINE WINFIELD JR!
October 11th, 2025 at 2:11 pm
SteveK
I’m not sure we actually have a big hitter on our defense
October 11th, 2025 at 2:21 pm
Can Bowles keep it close?
October 11th, 2025 at 2:33 pm
IDGAF about anyone else on their team; you cannot let CMC beat you. Period. Let Bourne have 150 yards and their backup QB can score 2 TDs. Who cares. Anyone is better than trying to wrangle CMC in the open field. Double him, play zone elsewhere, let the chips lie where they may. If we had a more effective pass rush I wouldn’t be so glum about it but I just don’t see us getting 3-4 sacks unless Mac’s knee is really hurt. We’re already going to leave major gaps down the seams due to our heavy blitzing scheme so may as well key on their best player and hope the pass rush gets there and the offense can consistently move the ball and dominate the T.O.P.!
October 11th, 2025 at 2:52 pm
Somebody correct me here. Isn’t this McCaffrey the same one the Panthers drafted quite a few years ago? At my age, I could be confusing him with someone else. If not, what’s the deal? He gets tackled for a loss and the refs whip out an unnecessary roughness flag (BS) on the Bucs? What’s he made out of, a rare form of china?
October 11th, 2025 at 3:46 pm
That’s the attitude, Todd.
LOL
That’s quite literally the key to this game. We stop CMC (especially in the passing game) and we can stop the Niners since they’re so banged up too.
If not, it’s gonna be a long long afternoon. That means we need LVD and SVD to play lights out. Cuz on the other side- You know Fred Warner and those San Fran ILBs will bring it.
October 11th, 2025 at 5:19 pm
McCaffrey is the guy I recalled. Panthers drafted him 8 years ago. The ownership radically changed around then. 49ers came calling and he bolted. He is like White. He can run and catch. Not sure about the blocking. White is as talented. Even the fans around here think Bucs will win tomorrow. 5-1, Tampa Bay!!
October 11th, 2025 at 5:30 pm
draft analysis
Jmarkbuc Says:
October 11th, 2025 at 2:11 pm
SteveK
I’m not sure we actually have a big hitter on our defense
Winfield is prob the closest to that, maybe Tykee Smith is on his way
October 11th, 2025 at 5:31 pm
If you actually go back and look at a lot of those Bucs / Panthers games, CMC wasn’t the one who killed the Bucs because the Bucs have David.
But while others here have been way down on David, I have no been, but still – that’s a tough ask at this point, and the 49ers aren’t dumb, they’re going to try to get CMC matched up on Dennis based on his struggles in coverage so far this year. Time for Dennis to fully shake off whatever has been his issue – he looked so good last year, it’s just a dramatic fall-off so far this year, and hopefully he’s back up to speed, because he’s going to need all that speed as the 49ers target him over and over.
October 11th, 2025 at 6:32 pm
Yup, historically we’ve kept CMC in check for the most part, but he’s an even bigger focus for the 49ers offense this year. Combine that with LVD is finally showing a bit of age (just a bit) and SVD being a liability… I’m just not sure.
LOL @ claiming White is as good as CMC. He’s not.
October 11th, 2025 at 7:40 pm
unbelievable Says:
October 11th, 2025 at 6:32 pm
LOL @ claiming White is as good as CMC. He’s not.
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What are you basing your opinion on? CMC has never had to learn to block like White has done. I watched him in those Panther games. White is also 3 years younger. They’ll be playing against each other tomorrow. I’m betting on the Bucs, and I don’t bet. 5-1!!