The 49ers on Sunday night didn’t look the part of a team that’s on track to return to the playoffs, much less the NFC championship game or Super Bowl.
San Francisco for the most part dominated a sluggish affair that Denver eventually pulled out 11-10 thanks in part to a couple late 49ers turnovers. Overall it was hard to find much good to take out of the contest. It was ugly offense that fell well short of the Herculean standard set by the defense that’s allowed nine points the last two weeks.
Instead of harping on just the bad parts of the loss, we tried to find a couple silver linings to pair with some of the not good:
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Bosa had one of those games where it’s clear why he’s a defensive player of the year candidate. He tallied six pressures, one sack and four quarterback hits. Denver didn’t really have an answer for him and when Bosa is rolling like he was Sunday night, it’s extremely hard to move the ball against San Francisco.
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Garoppolo’s night was particularly rough because he missed a handful of throws he typically makes. Short throws and screens that are typically automatic were either tipped at the line or off target. Combine that with a bad interception on an ill-advised throw into traffic, a couple of missed deep shots, and a safety that wasn’t entirely his fault, and we have one of the worst Garoppolo regular-season showings in awhile. Surely he’s rusty after not getting any training camp or preseason, but he has to get better quickly.
Williams went down with a high ankle sprain in the third quarter, but prior to his exit he looked like one of the best players in the NFL. He didn’t allow a pressure against a good Broncos pass rush, and Pro Football Focus gave him a 74.6 run blocking grade – the highest mark on the team. Replacing him while he’s out for a few weeks won’t be easy, but he made it clear in Week 3 that he’s still the best player at his position in the NFL.
(Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
Third down was a massive issue for the 49ers on Sunday. Their lone conversion came late in the fourth quarter and they finished just 1-for-10. Not keeping drives alive is how offenses trick stellar defensive outings like the one San Francisco got in Denver. Their inability to stay on the field robbed them of chances to score, and allowed the Broncos just enough possessions to put the game away. If the 49ers do nothing else moving forward, they have to convert on third downs, and that starts with being better on first down to set up more manageable third down situations.
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Lenoir was a surprise inclusion at the nickel cornerback spot, which has been held down by rookie Samuel Womack since his two interceptions in the preseason opener. Head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated the move was because of good practice showings by Lenoir, and he translated that to an impactful game Sunday. He was consistently around the ball, tackled aggressively, and wound up allowing just 32 yards and five catches on seven targets. The 2021 fifth-round pick could become a permanent fixture in sub packages moving forward.
(Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
It was not a good night for Samuel in the wideback role he made famous last season. While he posted five catches for 73 yards, he ran it five times for a paltry six yards. Teams are catching on to what the 49ers are doing with Samuel in the run game and the explosive plays they generated with that last year aren’t there through the first three weeks. Running backs Jeff Wilson Jr. and Jordan Mason combined for 82 yards on 13 carries. Running lanes were there, they just weren’t there Sunday night for Samuel.
We already highlighted Bosa, but the rest of the defensive front deserves some credit as well for putting together a dominant performance without the help of defensive tackle Arik Armstead, who was sidelined by a foot injury. The 49ers had 24 pressures against Denver. 23 of them came from defensive linemen. Bosa had six, Samson Ebukam had five, Charles Omenihu had four, Kevin Givens had three, rookie Drake Jackson had two, and Javon Kinlaw, Kerry Hyder and Hassan Ridgeway each had one. Givens, Bosa, Jackson and Hyder each sacked Broncos QB Russell Wilson once. It was an extremely impressive night for the defensive line, and it was once again clear that they’re the tip of this defensive unit’s spear.
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