The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: 5 Takeaways from Week 10
After a well-timed Bye week, the 49ers returned to action to register a 22-16 unconvincing yet crucial win. Here are the five takeaways from that win.
1. The rocket never launches.
The 49ers Faithful gathers each week to watch their heavily loaded offense takeoff. And yet the offense remains grounded like a space shuttle and never takes off due to an undisclosed issue. The 49ers had multiple starters returning from injuries and Christian McCaffrey to make a statement, but the lukewarm performance continued. They scored only two touchdowns but had 60 percent of the possession. On paper, there aren't too many offenses in NFL as loaded as 49ers. But the 49ers are the 18th ranked scoring offense in the league. When will they unlock true potential is a mystery.
2. Solid defense to rescue
The 49ers trailed at halftime for the second week running with a score of 16-10. The situation could have been much worse as Brandon Aiyuk fumbled the ball on a good drive, and a Mitch Wishnowsky punt was blocked. Both the mistakes did not come back to bite the 49ers as the defense held respecting drives to field goals.
The 49ers scored 9 points in the second half, and an extra field goal resulted from the Chargers turning the ball over on downs. The defense once again rescued the 49ers. The 49ers will go as far as the defense can carry them.
3. Throw them! Be consistent
The 49ers fans were bemused when Dre Dre Greenlaw was penalized and ejected after a late hit on Chargers quarterback JustinHerbert. Herbert was already going down after being tackled by two defenders. It is the responsibility of the oncoming defender to adjust as we all know, head-on collisions are not fun.
The ejection might be argued as too much, but why are such decisions made, especially if the victim is a quarterback? Unlike Rugby, it is an alien concept for the football community to understand that a defender is responsible for the safety of the ball carrier. But if NFL starts to call penalties related to player safety regardless of the playing position, it can improve everyone involved to find better and safer tackling techniques.
4. Defensive backs
Jimmie Ward is forced to play out of his pet position. Missing Jason Verrett and Emmanuel Moseley have left the 49ers to move players around. The first touchdown scored by the Chargers resulted from blown coverage where defensive backs were looking at each other. The 49ers decision to leave out Jaquiski Tartt is hurting them, as Talanoa Hufanga is still not mature enough to take the leading safety in the backfield. Hufanga ended the game on a high note by intercepting Herbert, but Ward should be allowed to play in his original position.
5. Jimmy Garoppolo
Another efficient showdown from Garoppolo was all 49ers needed to secure the win. The offense does not score points as they did in 2019 to declare it as the best season of Garoppolo. Nevertheless, all the 49ers need right now is to play mistake-free football with the hope that the defense will restrict opponents within reach. The 49ers' third down conversation rate was better than their season average during this game. The 36 minutes of valuable football possession made the difference between the two teams.
Garoppolo is not elite but doing more than enough to win games as a backup quarterback.
