3 Thoughts From the 49ers' 24-16 SNF Victory Over the Rams
After two straight poor performances, the San Francisco 49ers (3-3) returned to contending form with a bounce back 24-16 win over the division-rival Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football.
Here are three thoughts from the victory:
Just give Robert Saleh 11 NFL-caliber players and expect greatness
In addition to the play calling and quarterback deficiencies last week, the defense had its own concerns.
The Rams have a strong offensive line, a solid rushing attack, two great receivers and a quarterback who excels when given time.
But with the return of Emmanuel Moseley (concussion), and the continuously impressive Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Kerry Hyder Jr. and Jaquiski Tartt, the 49ers looked like a playoff-caliber defense. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was deservedly back in good graces.
A huge key to the game was to force the run-first Rams out of their element and make Jared Goff throw. The Dolphins and Eagles used that strategy in wins over the 49ers already. With a similar offense, why wouldn’t this strategy work against the Rams?
The Rams are 3-0 with 35-plus rushes, but are now 1-2 when attempting less than 35.
Despite Darrell Henderson averaging 6.3 yards per carry, he had only 14 rushes. The rest of the Rams had five.
Henderson entered the day with 20 first down runs. He’s a huge part of the Rams’ offense. He had five more on Sunday.
But all five came on just two drives (one being LA’s first touchdown, and the other ending on Goff’s end zone interception).
The defense bended at times, but it did not break.
Greenlaw made his weekly goal-line stuff, stopping Henderson on the one yard line.
On the next play, Moseley made up for his 17-yard pass interference earlier in the drive by breaking up a would-be Cooper Kupp touchdown.
The 49ers finished off the goal-line stand a play later. On fourth down, the scared-to-run Rams put the ball in their QB’s hands once again, and a pick cost them seven points.
Those late-game, clutch defensive stops are essential for any contender and were common last season.
Injuries depleted this elite defense. But there’s still flashes of brilliance. With Moseley, Warner, Hyder, Greenlaw and Tartt, they’re a force in the NFC.
The Verrett investment paid off big time
You might’ve noticed cornerback Jason Verrett’s name missing when talking about the defense. That’s because his play deserves its own section.
Prior to 2020, Verrett totaled six games in four seasons. Due to his inability to stay on the field, the Pro Bowl corner had to fight for a reserve role with the 49ers the last two training camps.
Weirdly enough, he’s been the one constant of the cornerbacks. Verrett’s taken full advantage of his opportunity, and has stabilized the secondary.
The only time you would really notice Verrett was when he was stopping outside runs or sniffing out a Golden Tate screen.
But due to being opposite two practice squad corners (Dontae Johnson and Brian Allen), Verrett hasn’t been tested much. Why would you throw at Verrett if you had a guaranteed first down/touchdown on the other side?
With Moseley back, how would Verrett handle the increased attention? The answer was by doing exactly what he’s done all year: eliminating one side of the field.
In his best performance of the season, Verrett allowed zero completions and intercepted Goff in the end zone.
Now surely that 0/0 game was an outlier? Wrong. He’s allowed a whopping 24 receiving yards in four games. That’s elite status.
He’s a lockdown outside corner for the 49ers, something the franchise hasn’t had in decades.
Verrett still has plenty of huge tests ahead (Davante Adams, DeAndre Hopkins, Michael Thomas, Stefon Diggs, Amari Cooper and D.K. Metcalf). And another injury can always spoil this awesome comeback. But what Verrett’s done in his first consistent taste of NFL action since 2015 is nothing short of impressive.
The offense got back to the basics. Now stick to them
Although Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Raheem Mostert all had solid nights, the most impressive performance came from the offensive line.
The 49ers’ O-line, specifically right guard Daniel Brunskill, neutralized the best non-Mahomes in the NFL in defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
Donald entered the game with 7.5 sacks in five games. In a season-high 63 defensive snaps, he made two tackles and had one QB hit.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers outrushed (122 to 113) and out-passed (268 to 198) Sean McVay and the Rams. They also won the time of possession by over 15 minutes (15:50 difference).
So what changed from the last two weeks?
After putting his offensive line and quarterbacks in tough situations with one-dimensional play-calling, Shanahan got back to the basics.
By running the ball and utilizing quick, easier passes to extend the ground-game, Shanahan reminded the NFL why he’s one of the best offensive minds and play callers.
With the excellent play calling that put his offense in very favorable/comfortable situations, the 49ers finally looked like the reigning NFC Champions.
For what seems like the first time this season, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was in a position to succeed. He hit Kittle. He hit Brandon Aiyuk. He hit Kendrick Bourne.
The throws weren’t that difficult, but they were still made.
There will always be complaints because Garoppolo isn’t Patrick Mahomes or Tom Brady, but the bed is made. Can’t change it now.
What they can do is what was so successful Sunday: Taking the pressure off Garoppolo and the offensive line with well-designed runs and confidence-building throws.
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