Not sure what makes it newsworthy. Of course the expectation is that Marshawn will get the ball in that situation. They still have to stop it, which they did. And honestly, we created more than enough space to get the 1st. If Marshawn's first instinct is to go left, or if Gilliam and Nowak don't get completely blown up, it's a 1st. You have to win one-on-one. We don't get to put more players on the field than they do.
Sure, you can put a blocking back in too... great, they sub in linebacker or lineman to replace the CB who would be covering the WR you just took out and now Chris Long is also in on the RB rather than staying home on Russell. So, you've actually made the numbers game worse for yourself. The play could still work. Just as a bootleg could still work. I wouldn't call any of these a "bad call" in that situation. They might work; they might not. Players got to execute for it to happen. In terms of "probabilities", the spread-run or a bootleg are probably your best plays in that situation. The two-back run is the one that gets you the least flack from people who like to "lose the right way."