Frank Gore Is Key To San Francisco 49ers’ Week 11 Win

By Jeff Pearlman @thedadeeoh on November 13, 2014

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Franklin Delano Gore is the San Francisco 49ers‘ all-time leading rusher. He is the 5-foot-9 engine that could. He is Frank the Tank, and he is the key to a 49ers’ victory over the New York Giants this Sunday.

Last week against the New Orleans Saints, Gore carried the ball 23 times for 81 yards and a score, but don’t judge his game solely by those numbers. Instead, look at the simple fact that while Gore is rumbling, bumbling and stumbling his way down the field 3.5 yards at a time, he’s simultaneously grinding out the clock; and in a game against Drew Brees, time of possession is of prime importance. The Saints actually had the ball for longer than the 49ers in Week 10, but obviously the 49ers had it long enough to claim victory and much of the credit goes to No. 21.

Gore plays a much larger role in the 49ers’ offense than most, including Greg Roman, are apparently aware. His 23 carries against the Saints represented only the second time that Gore has had 20-plus carries this season and, interestingly enough, the 49ers have won both games. In fact, in every game in which Gore has been given the ball at least 15 times in 2014, the 49ers are an astounding 5-0. That’s not a misprint.

Simple math will tell you how the 49ers have fared when Gore doesn’t get the rock at least 15 times, but it’s far more difficult to comprehend why an NFL week in which Gore doesn’t get the ball at least 15 times transpires. The data is there; give the ball to Frank the Tank; let him run over the defense at least 15 times; win the game. It’s a pretty simple formula, and if Roman doesn’t get it, he shouldn’t be allowed to drive a car much less run an NFL offense.

The Giants currently own the NFL’s worst run defense. They give up a bloated 144.7 YPG on the ground, and it would be an act of defiance against reason for the 49ers not to run the ball down the Giants’ throats. The 49ers’ offensive line has struggled this year, but there isn’t an offensive lineman in the NFL who doesn’t love to run block. And few other running backs in the game reward their linemen for creating holes better than Gore, because few running backs possess the 10-year-veteran’s patience and vision.

Everybody and their grandma knows that anything can happen on any given Sunday, but if there’s one thing for certain it’s that Gore should get at least 15 carries against the Giants. He’s been the key to victory in five wins, and if the 49ers are still truly thinking NFL Playoffs, it would be prudent of them to allow Gore to be the key to victory in their sixth win.

Jeff Pearlman is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.