By Scooter_McG
With two games down the 49ers remain undefeated on the season, completing their East Coast opening fortnight with a gritty 17-11 win over a game Eagles team. This one was a hard fought match that really stretched the mental and physical fortitude of the 49ers team.
At the beginning of the season most people would have thought this should be a fairly easy victory for the 49ers, but credit where credit is due - while keeping things simple, Nick Sirianni has these Eagles playing good, hard, aggressive football. At the end of the season it wouldn't surprise me if we look back and see the 49ers beat a team today that is a real contender to make the playoffs.
Here's what stood out to me.
The 49ers OL was overmatched by the Eagles front 4. While the 49ers managed to avoid giving up sacks, it wasn't a result of any dominance up front. The Eagles routinely got pressure on Jimmy G on any play taking more than a couple of seconds to develop and for the most part shut down the 49ers running game. The early going was particularly tough sledding, as Elijah Mitchell was finding no room to run from handoffs as the interior DL routinely got into the backfield, Jimmy G was being harassed into errant passes, and receivers struggled to haul in a couple of balls.
But Shanahan adjusted. A key to the 49ers victory was how Shanahan adjusted his game plan to account for the Eagles dominance up front. Instead of handing the ball off to the RBs, Shanahan moved to using pitches to help get the RB past the interior penetration. While it didn't result in the running game becoming particularly dangerous, it turned the tide in terms of allowing the 49ers to stay on schedule.
More importantly, Shanahan turned to primarily a short catch and run type passing game, employing lots of screens and dump offs. Jimmy G would end the day with 22 completions on 30 attempts, going for just 189 yards. But he led two crucial long drives for TDs - one at the end of the first half and one that went nearly 9 minutes across the 3rd and 4th quarters. Those drives helped the 49ers win the time of possession battle quite handily.
The 49ers defense came up big in key moments. In tight games like this one, turning scoring opportunities into 7 points can be crucial. The 49ers did it, but the Eagles did not. In the first half the Eagles came away with just 3 points despite being within scoring range three times. Javon Kinlaw came up with a block on the Eagles second FG attempt of the first quarter, and then an impressive goal line stand led by a tackle for a loss by Fred Warner resulted in a turnover on downs late in the second quarter. That sequence would prove pivotal, with the 49ers subsequently marching the length of the field to score and take a 7-3 lead into the half.
Demo Lenoir could be a steal. Two weeks into his NFL career and he now has two starts under his belt, and has impressed in back-to-back weeks. Yes, he gave up a 91 yard reception today, where he failed to get hands on the receiver at the LOS. But aside from that blemish he was excellent, showing good skills to stick with receivers and great awareness in using the sideline to his advantage.
The 49ers still struggle to contain mobile QBs. While the defense played a good game overall, and much improved against the run up the middle, one area they still struggled with was preventing Hurts from using his legs to effectively extend plays and pick up yards. Fortunately the Eagles often failed to take advantage of it, but against more potent offenses the inability to contain the mobile QB will come back to bite them if they don't clean it up. I thought Dee Ford in particular was guilty of allowing Hurts to escape too easily, but all the DL struggled with it to some degree.
Final Verdict
This was a gutsy road win led by the defense that could be a galvanising victory for the team moving forward. Coming out of their two week East Coast trip with two wins makes for a great start to the season and a nice platform to build from. However, injuries continue to be an issue for the team, this time losing their top 3 RBs to injury at various points in the game (though Elijah Mitchell would eventually return). Hopefully none of the injuries are serious.
Very impressive win. I've been a little down on Kyle lately, but I have to say, this victory reflects very positively on Kyle as a HC. Just as I was getting a little impatient, Kyle made all of the the necessary adjustments. Just as importantly, although both teams played their butts off, despite being on the road it seemed like it was the 49ers who dug just a little bit deeper today. This tells me a lot about their mentality as a team, and Kyle deserves a lot of credit for this. No matter how strangely this QB situation has played out this offseason, there is no question that this team is still 100% behind their Head Coach. I am not exactly how this QB situation is going to play out over the long run, and like Steve Young, I think there are serious potential pitfalls. But for the time being, there is no question that this is Jimmy and Kyle's team, and hopefully they can go all the way while it lasts.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, today's victory could very well be a springboard victory?
FYI, I meant to put an exclamation point after that last sentence, not a question mark.
DeleteGO NINERS!
It was great to see the adjustments Shanahan made and how tough minded the team was on both sides of the ball.
DeleteYou say springboard victory, I say a galvanising victory - I think we mean the same thing. This could be the win we look back on and say the 49ers season really kicked off after that one.
Hey guys, I am curious how you guys feel about yesterday's performance from the Offensive Line?
DeleteThe Eagles defensive front is tremendous, IMO, particularly on the interior with Hargreaves and Cox. Those guys can wreak havoc under any circumstance, but I really feel like the crowd noise was the biggest difference maker, because as good as those guys are, a lot of their penetration seemed directly tied to their get off at the snap.
Even if the Niners weren't really going with a silent count, when it's that loud, it can have the exact same affect on the OL. They usually end up having to peek in at either the Center to go off the snap, or they go off of the movement of the lineman in between them and the center, which basically has the same negative affects.
Anytime you have to take your eyes off of your blocking assignment, and aren't fully locked in on them, it can give them an advantage at the snap, and that goes for run blocking as well ... same principal, and even if we're talking about a fraction of a second, it can be an enormous advantage for the DL!
They didn't give up a single sack though, and their rushing attack did get stronger as the game progressed, so I think they actually deserve a lot of credit for the win.
Agree or disagree?
The only QB pitfalls are in the media. The team is behind Jimmy. Jimmy is the QB for the season unless injured or on the fringe of losing a playoff berth (and this would have to be after a 4 or 5 game losing streak) which isn't happening.
DeleteEveryone needs to get thoughts of Lance starting out of their heads, he's a redshirt rookie.
>>In fact, today's victory could very well be a springboard victory?
DeleteReasons, I'm seeing it similar to game 2 of 2019, overcoming 5 TOs to squeak out that victory over the Steelers.
The only scenario in which Trey replaces Jimmy this season is if Jimmy gets hurt. I think that's a real shame because I don't see this team getting to the Super Bowl again with Jimmy at the helm. He simply has too many limitations. He's just good enough to brake our hearts, over, and over, and over again!
DeleteAnyways, that's a subject for later in the season. For now the Niners are 2-0, and Jimmy has a stranglehold on the QB position as long as he is healthy (knock on wood).
Absolutely rib, in fact I mentioned that game on the previous thread. Unfortunately, I don't think this defense is as dominant as 2019. Just my honest opinion.
DeleteI could be wrong though, I mean, this was an impressive win on Sunday, that's for sure. I just have a serious problem with that many resources wallowing on the bench all season. If ShanaLynch truly believed Jimmy could take them to the promise land, trading away 3 first and a 3rd for another QB makes absolutely no sense in my book. Or Steve Young's book. Or a lot of other people's books.
DeleteThat's the part of this puzzle that doesn't fit, IMO. We'll see how it plays out, I've been wrong before.
"The only scenario in which Trey replaces Jimmy this season is if Jimmy gets hurt. I think that's a real shame because I don't see this team getting to the Super Bowl again with Jimmy at the helm. He simply has too many limitations. He's just good enough to brake our hearts, over, and over, and over again!
DeleteAnyways, that's a subject for later in the season. For now the Niners are 2-0, and Jimmy has a stranglehold on the QB position as long as he is healthy (knock on wood)."
No rookie QB has ever won, let alone been to, a Super Bowl. The best chance they have to get there is with JG. If you want to call of the season and just put Lance in to play, then so be it, but the only way this team gets back to/wins a SB is with Jimmy, and they can, he isn't that limited, lets slow down the disrespect.
Yes, I've heard the "no rookie has ever won a Super Bowl" excuse, over and over again. The fact is, rarely has such a talented rookie QB ever joined such a talented team with perhaps the most QB friendly system in the league.
DeleteBut along your line of thinking, Jimmy Garoppolo has never won a Super bowl either, has he? He sure had a golden opportunity to do so. I mean, he rarely even had to make a throw thru the NFC conference championship game. The Niners defense carried the team in the first half of 2019, and then the running game carried it from there. Jimmy was mostly just along for the ride. Yes, he's competent enough to win a lot of regular season games, but a lot of people continue to doubt that he can actually be the reason why the Niners will win a Super Bowl.
I am not trying to be negative eMJay, but you are making the same arguments that have already been hashed out. The 49ers had a very impressive win on Sunday, but we are two games into the season. Let's not act like Jimmy has actually done anything to change the narrative. All he's done is quiet things down for the time being.
And yes, there are lots of fans who are waiting for Jimmy to fold, because that's mostly what he's done as a 49er. Do you really blame us?
And if you think standing on the sideline is doing much for Trey Lance's development, I've got a bridge I'd like to sell you.
DeleteWe are going to be in the same boat next season, having to go through Trey's developmental process, so all we are really doing is delaying that stage while we have a ton of draft resources tied up in a player who is sitting on the sideline, rather than playing, while his rookie contract becomes one year shorter.
That's not a smart allocation of resources.
And one more thing eMjay, I like Jimmy, and I'm rooting for Jimmy. However, I am not going to pretend that Jimmy is something that he isn't. The fact of the matter is, the 49ers traded away 3 first round draft picks and a 3rd round draft pick, and STILL have the consensus worst QB in the NFC West.
DeleteExplain to me in logical sense how that is going to put this team over the top this season?
I thought part of the reason for drafting Lance was as an insurance policy in case Jimmy gets injured again? But according to your logic, Lance is a rookie, and rookies never win Super Bowls anyways, so what's the point? Why not shore up some other positions and make a big trade up next year if things go bad again this season? It makes NO sense.
DeleteIF Kyle had put his weight behind Trey Lance from the get go, and put together schemes designed to take advantage of Trey's strengths, and then did everything he could to keep Trey's confidence level high, I have no doubt that Trey could have hit the ground running this season. There would have been rookie bumps in the road, but I think his skill set could enhance what Kyle wants to do anyways, and thats run the ball down his opponents throats.
DeleteAnd then, by the time we got to December, trey might very well have developed enough as a pocket passer to do what's never been done before. I assumed that was the plan after they traded away all of those draft resources in order to move up and draft him.
But that would have required ShanaLynch to bite the bullet, and take what they could get for Jimmy, even if they get low balled, which was likely going tp happen. But that's OK because they have probably already won the Garoppolo trade from the Pats, because he helped them win a conference championship, and all he cost was a 2nd round pick.
He was already a popular guy in the 49ers locker room, so what you can't do if you want to move on from him is let him stick around into training camp so that he can rally the locker room behind him.
Epic miscalculation on ShanaLynch's part.
And I have a sense that Trey wasn't even originally Kyle's guy. That was Mac Jones, IMO. And one of the best things Mav had going for him was that he was considered the prospect most ready to start as a rookie, although he also had what most people thought was the lowest ceiling among the top 5 QB prospects. Sure enough, that's exactly who he seems to be - the next Kirk Cousins!
"I've been a LITTLE DOWN on Kyle lately"
DeleteREALLY? JUST A LITTLE? Is a broken record is a little repetitive? Just asking for a friend!
49Reasons
Delete"The only scenario in which Trey replaces Jimmy this season is if Jimmy gets hurt. I think that's a real shame because I don't see this team getting to the Super Bowl again with Jimmy at the helm. He simply has too many limitations. He's just good enough to brake our hearts, over, and over, and over again!"
SO HELP ME OUT HERE MY FELLOW 9ER FAN....WHO WAS THE 9ER QB THAT TOOK THEM TO THE SB IN 2019? BUT HEY, DON'T LET FACTS GET IN THE WAY OF YOUR BELIEFS.
Good synopsis, Scooter. Great character victory.
ReplyDeleteAs we've come to expect Scooter, another good break down of a 9er game. After a slow start, helped by a strong Eagles D, the 9ers
ReplyDeleteput together two 90+ yard drives and shut the Eagles out on
an impressive goal line stand.
That my fellow 9er fans is the hallmark of an experienced playoff team that showed no panic. It also proves the 9er FO made the correct decision in keeping JG for the 2021 season and KS faith in JG, by NOT put Lance in the game.
Now the 9ers face off against the GB Packers in week 3, who should be a playoff team (we'll see Mon. night if they and Rodgers are contenders or pretenders).
Weeks 4 and 5 the banged up 9ers will face division rivals Seattle and Arizona. Except for the Rams, these next three games should reveal just how good the 2021 9ers are VS the
NFC West! When the going gets tough, the tough get going! The next 3 games will tell us if that applies to our 9ers.
I have to say that SF is very likely to go 3-0. GB just doesn't match up with a healthy Niners, especially JG and Bosa. Both of them on the field and this isn't a game.
DeleteeMJay
DeleteI Agree with you, with a (operative word) "HEALTHY"
Niners....That's the problem, they're not. The Niners
have a lot of injured players.
My concern is 1). All the injured RB's. If the Niners have a couple healthy RB's (T Sermon out of concussion protocol and Mitchell just had a shoulder stinger, then the 9ers should be ok against GB. And 2) Two healthy CB's. The rookie Lenoir looks good, but will E-Man be healthy enough to play?
Agreed, the Niners match up favorably against GB when healthy. But that's because of the running game, but the Niners stable of RB's is absolutely decimated right now, so that neutralizes that matchup advantage. GB has the advantage at QB, and WR, IMO. Niners have the coaching advantage.
DeleteWhere's all those hand wringers who poo poo'd Lynch for taking Wishnowsky in the 4th round before BB got his hands on him?
ReplyDeleteWhere? Setting in the back row, wringing their hands, wishing they had! Hind sight is always 2020....lol
DeleteDude was money Sunday. Seems he's developed quite nicely into one of the top punters in the league.
DeleteI'm always amused by the armchair GMs who pontificate how a punter is not worth a 4th round pick. However, these folks are too much into fantasy football to realize that the target of GMs in mid-rounds tend to be in positions of need and they pick someone who is most likely to make the team -- not on BPA basis. Niners needed a punter and Mitch was one of the top two in the draft. Personally, I preferred Bailey over Mitch but they are both very good. A ten-year starter out of 4th round is a very good draft pick, and we can expect Mitch to be one.
DeleteJust waiting for Jimmy to have a "bad" game, they've moved their target.
DeleteI'll still say that was a bad pick. If you get a starter, or high level backup at any position on offense or defense that player is more valuable and will contribute to more wins than any punter.
DeleteTo even approach being worthy of where he was selected he should be a perennial pro bowler.
Scooter,
ReplyDeleteVery good takeaways from the game.
A reminder (courtesy Nick Waggoner) that the last 3 times the Niners started the season winning two games on the road, they went to the Super Bowl.
Shanny's offense seems pretty vanilla thus far. Has me wondering what he's got up his sleeves for Sunday evening.
DeleteI suspect he may not pull out any wrinkles from underneath the Shanahat for another week when they travel to Seattle.
DeleteThe RB room is in tatters with Hasty out with HAS and Sermon on concussion protocol. They are working out Duke Johnson and Lamar Miller and perhaps T. J. Yelden. All these new faces would indicate to me that the Niner O may be sticking to the basics to ride out this injury storm.
We can't afford to lose Mitchell. He's our best back imho.
DeleteDepending on the severity of the concussion, Sermon has a good chance of being available.
I disagree with that, Razor. I think both Hasty and Sermon are more talented than Mitchell, but I do like Mitchell.
DeleteWith the current health of the Niners' RB stable, Kyle better not try to stubbornly lean on the run game. He needs to remain somewhat balanced, but it's time to start airing out a bit more, after all, it's a passing league. We are soon going to find out whether Kyle truly believes in Jimmy G.
DeleteThis will be fascinating to watch play out.
The Niners aren't going to be able to run right through GB like they did in 2019.
DeleteAnd, BTW, Hasty's stats are superior to Mitchell's, in fact they aren't even close, as a rusher, or receiver. Plus Hasty has a full seasons worth of experience under his belt now.
DeleteAnd Trey Sermon badly outclassed Mitchell as a rusher in college. In fact, it wasn't even close. Sermon played in the far superior conference, and averaged 2 YARDS MORE per carry than Mitchell, so let's slow that roll. Just saying.
Your stats make a compelling argument, however I'm going just by my eyes; and this:
DeleteHow do you assess running back in general without tackling?
"Yeah, that was the part of the question that was fired up about. It is hard. There's no short cut. You really have to magnify all the reps when you're not going to the ground. Where's his balance? Are his shoulders overs his toes, is the center of gravity right at the point of contact? And you can take that to a certain degree, but that's what's crazy about last year having no preseason, because for running backs, we really rely on those games to see how they, not necessarily their yards per carrier, or if their stats were good, but how are they on contact with defenders dragging on them? Are they going to get extra yards? Are they a guy that if it's blocked for three, he'll get five? So you can only take it so far. We do the best that we can. But then there's a lot of it that you have to wait until people can actually tackle you."
How does RB Elijah Mitchell with that? What are you seeing out of him besides that he's fast?
"That's one of my favorite parts of his game. So whether that was coincidental or not, when you watch him and you watch him at practice, you can see at the point of contact that he is striking defenders. We call it shoulder punched. You've seen [RB] Jeff Wilson [Jr.] do it a bunch. So in practice we see great vision and we see a guy that is not afraid of contact and should be pretty good after it. But, again we'll let him show us all that when the preseason games start"
Hasty's stats may be better on a per touch basis, but he also benefits from being used sporadically and when defenses are tiring a bit.
DeleteNo 49ers RB would have looked good at the start of the Eagles game. Nobody looks good when getting blasted behind the LOS.
I'm not sure if Mitchell is good or not, we'll have to wait and see. But the Eagles game was not a good barometer imo.
As for Sermon... he looked great in college running into wide gaps. He has excellent movement for a guy his size. But in preseason he looked a little timid, like he was over thinking things trying to find space. Hopefully with experience he will gain confidence and play faster.
You guys both make some good points.
DeleteI think personally think Sermon has the best potential at taking over a game, let me put it that way. But these guys are all dynamic in their own right.
BTW, I really like Elijah Mitchell a lot, so I am not trying to knock him. I think he should be the primary kick returner when the RB group is obviously much healthier.
I think they all have different qualities as RB's, and different running styles, so they all compliment each other well, but it is hard to really compare them. The good news is that they are all talented, and nice additions to this team.
Mitchel is more of a one cut and go, with good burst, and he's a pretty good receiver. Hasty has developed an explosive cutting ability, and he's deceptively strong for his size, and he's clearly been working on his receiving because Kyle thinks he's the best of the bunch catching out of the backfield. Sermon looks like more of a workhorse, and he covers big chunks of yards with his long string style, very good moving laterally as well, but might be the third best receiver of the three, but he's not a liability as a pass catcher.
But my gosh, where's the bye week when you need it, lol.
Zero pressures given up by the old man in the pivot through 2 games.
ReplyDeleteRazor
DeleteThe weak link in the O-line is still RG Brunskill. IMO
he is improving (no sacks this week), but still the weak link.
What, if anything, have you heard about Banks?
Haven't heard dink on Banks.
DeleteSacks by 49ers first round DE picks in Sunday's games:
ReplyDeleteNick Bosa: 2
Solomon Thomas: 2
oops -- should have read D linemen, not DE.
DeleteMood
DeleteAnd a broken clock is right "2" times every day!
Glad to see he's playing for the Raiders, not the 9ers.
Thomas got two sacks??? Wow! Wonders never cease.
Delete