49ers Offense Squanders First-Half Opportunities in 28-21 Loss to Seahawks
Well that was disappointing.
The 49ers offense squandered an impressive first-half defensive performance with yet another porous offensive outing in their 28-21 loss to the Seahawks.
San Francisco's defense in the first-half was absolutely dominating the Seahawks. Russell Wilson could not do anything. Anytime he wanted to drop back, the pressure would be there to meet him. Chris Carson and the offensive line could not spark a running game. The play calling from Seattle played perfectly into the hands of the 49ers. All the momentum in the world was on the 49ers side. The Seahawks were just begging them to run up the score on them. They looked like a team that knew they were bad.
And yet, the 49ers kept them alive.
Excuse me... Jimmy Garoppolo kept them alive.
Garoppolo struggled to make basic throws. After starting 6-for-6 in the game, he finished out the half 8-for-17. He was late to his reads, which is why the wide receivers looked covered on some passes. Garoppolo misses his windows to throw his receivers open so much. He alone kept the Seahawks alive. Even the touchdown throw to Ross Dwelley was slow. That was just terrible cornerback play on that score. The 49ers defense did a good enough job to keep the 49ers in it. The 49ers offense should be ashamed. They did the defense no favors. They couldn't take advantage of the quick turnarounds from their defense. No points came up nor did they sustain drives long enough.
Kyle Shanahan should be ashamed of that performance, which is why he brought in Trey Lance to take over. The 49ers will say they kept Garoppolo out due to a "calf" injury, but I call shenanigans on that. They are just trying to save face because they respect Garoppolo. Even if we can fully believe that Garoppolo's calf injury was so serious that he couldn't continue playing, it is still a terrible look that he sustained an injury just 3.5 games into the season. I would still expect Garoppolo to be the starter against the Cardinals this week, but the fact that they made the switch shows the armor is wearing off. It is going to be Lance's time soon.
But Lance didn't do himself any favors when he stepped in.
You can't fully blame him. He spends his days on the scout team, so they aren't really working with him closely. He was thrown into the fire into an offense that is catered to Garoppolo. Lance didn't even get to showcase his legs by operating on the run outside of the pocket. Any deep shots called restricted him inside the pocket. It does say a lot that the run game became more effective with Lance in the game. Just the threat of him is enough to open up the defense more. All they need to do is get him more reps and coach him through his growing pains so that it isn't prolonged. One thing is for certain is that he will not improve unless he gets playing time because sitting on the bench so far has done him no good.
Aside from quarterback being the story, the next thing to look at is the 49ers as a playoff contender. They certainly are not Super Bowl caliber and the playoff contender title is looking blurrier as they lose another game. Meanwhile, the Cardinals look like the real deal, the Rams are a force, and Seattle has a leg up on the 49ers. There is not going to be any dramatic fix the 49ers can make this season. This is what you're going to get from them. A questionable offense with a questionable defense. The 49ers just haven't been able to piece it all together and they probably never will.
Dropping to 2-2 isn't the end all be all for the 49ers, but with a road trip to Arizona looming, things can be looking dark for the red and gold heading into the bye week.
