3 Takeaways from 49ers' Week 4 Win vs. Cardinals
Christian McCaffrey's Most Valuable Player campaign accelerated in the San Francisco 49ers' Week 4 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
The top running back in the NFL torched the Cardinals defense for four touchdowns in the 35-16 victory.
McCaffrey could not be stopped in either aspect of the offense, and his effectiveness in the red zone allowed the 49ers to feel comfortable about their victory for most of the contest, despite Arizona's best efforts to come back.
McCaffrey was the offensive star of the day, but he was not the only high-yardage gainer inside the 49ers offense. Brandon Aiyuk turned in another massive day in the passing game with 148 receiving yards.
Arizona put together a successful attempt to match the 49ers' aerial production, as Joshua Dobbs threw for 265 yards.
San Francisco's iffy coverage against Marquise Brown and Michael Wilson was the only true concern to come from the NFC West battle.
Christian McCaffrey For MVP?
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McCaffrey's four-touchdown Sunday vaulted him into the MVP conversation among the league's best quarterbacks.
The running back's case was aided by the lackluster day that Tua Tagovailoa had on the road in Buffalo. The Miami Dolphins quarterback entered Week 4 as the MVP favorite.
McCaffrey still has a long way to go to win the award, but he made a strong case for himself in Week 4.
He became the first offensive skill position player to score four times in a game this season and he extended his scoring streak to 13 games.
McCaffrey's touchdown streak tied the longest scoring run in 49ers history set by Jerry Rice in 1987, per ESPN NFL.
No team has been able to stop McCaffrey yet this season, and he has a chance to further his MVP standing against the Dallas Cowboys' defense in Week 5.
A multi-score game at home next Sunday would make McCaffrey's MVP credentials look even better.
Brandon Aiyuk's Breakout Season
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Aiyuk recorded his second 100-yard receiving performance of the season on Sunday.
The fourth-year player produced 148 receiving yards as an excellent complement to McCaffrey's success on the ground.
Aiyuk caught all six of his targets. That marked the second time he brought in every pass thrown to him in a game this season. He had eight catches on eight targets in his 129-yard outing in Week 1.
Aiyuk has already tied his career high for 100-yard receiving games in a season. He had two in his rookie season of 2020.
He took full advantage of his No. 1 wide receiver role with Deebo Samuel out injured. The performance set the tone for a potential breakout season.
Aiyuk has always been a solid contributor to the 49ers offense, but rarely has he been the explosive and consistent pass-catcher that he was in Weeks 1 and 4.
An improved Aiyuk combined with an in-form McCaffrey and healthy Samuel could give the 49ers the best offensive trio in the NFL. If you add in tight end George Kittle, the 49ers can make a case to have the best quartet of skill position players.
Second High Passing Yards Concession Brings Some Concern to Defense
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The 49ers allowed their second-highest passing concession in Week 4.
Dobbs threw for 265 passing yards and connected with Brown and Wilson on seven occasions each. Zach Ertz also had six receptions.
Dobbs' performance through the air came one week after Daniel Jones led the New York Giants to 300 passing yards.
Neither quarterback outing put the final result in grave danger because the 49ers broke out to big leads in each game.
However, the two high concessions bring about some concerns about how the 49ers' secondary will perform in higher stakes games.
We will see if the high concessions were just a product of game flows in Weeks 3 and 4, or a real concern when Dak Prescott and the Cowboys come to Levi's Stadium in Week 5.
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