Kurtenbach: The 49ers use Christian McCaffrey like a rental car. He still looks early-season fresh.

"This season in Santa Clara has played out like a survival reality show. Injuries have turned the roster into a walking triage unit. Brock Purdy missed eight games. Four of the team's five best non-quarterbacks were missing for Sunday's game against the Bears. By all laws of football, the 49ers should be spiraling. And instead, the one guy who should be breaking down McCaffrey isn't just surviving; he's thriving."

"Running back is the NFL's ultimate position of attrition. It's a job with the lifespan of a Spinal Tap drummer. Usually, by Week 17, a running back with a heavy workload looks like a used sedan with 200,000 miles on it rattling, leaking fluids, and praying it can make it to the driveway. McCaffrey? He's playing a Benjamin Button campaign of pain. He looks bouncier, sprier, and more violent now than he did in September."

"This, despite having 399 touches on the season 46 more than any other player in football. And yet he looks better than ever heading into January and the postseason. How is that possible? You could see the pep in McCaffrey's step in the Week 16 win over the Colts, and you saw it again Sunday against Chicago. While everyone else is limping to the finish line, McCaffrey is sprinting through it like he just drank three Red Bulls."

"Against a Bears defense that was selling out to stop him like he was the only item on the menu, he posted 181 yards of total offense on 27 touches. His jump cuts in the backfield looked summer fresh. He forced eight missed tackles on the ground. More absurdly, he racked up 112 rushing yards after contact. That was his most this season and the third-most of his career."

The 49ers have endured widespread injuries and roster instability, including Brock Purdy missing eight games and multiple top non-quarterbacks sidelined. Christian McCaffrey has carried a massive 399-touch season, 46 more than any other player, yet he shows increased explosiveness and durability rather than decline. Recent play demonstrates sharper jump cuts, long runs behind an improving offensive line, and higher-than-usual yards after contact. In consecutive games he delivered season-long runs, forced multiple missed tackles, posted 181 total yards on 27 touches, and recorded 112 rushing yards after contact, signaling peak form entering January and the postseason.

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