The Finer Details from Sunday Night

You've had a chance to digest the 49ers' 24-16 victory over the Los Angeles Rams Sunday night. Perhaps you've fed your Niners addiction by watching highlights of Deebo Samuel run wild and Jason Verrett turn back the clock.

Now that the dust has settled, let's look at the finer details from the contest that you may have missed.

Trusting Hasty

With Raheem Mostert sidelined, Kyle Shanahan elected to trust JaMycal Hasty -- not veteran Jerick McKinnon -- as his top option to seal the game. Hasty, who had six fumbles at Baylor in limited touches, is not your prototype finisher, but he looked good and showed burst.

After the game, Shanahan said, "I thought (Hasty) did a real good job when he came in."

In obvious running situations with the defense loading the box, Hasty notched 37 yards on nine touches (4.1 YPC). That's pretty solid for a fourth-string running back.

With Monday's news that Mostert is going on IR, look for Hasty to get increased opportunities, starting this week against the New England Patriots. Hasty and Shanahan know Patriots' coach Bill Belichick is aware of the ball-security concerns that may have prevented Hasty from being drafted and prompted USA Today's Patrick Conn to say before the draft, "Ball security is a huge concern with Hasty."

He's drawing his coach's praise now, but a veteran should pull Hasty aside and tell a cautionary tale about old friend Matt Brieda. A fellow undrafted free agent running back, Breida fumbled last year, and was traded to Miami after being ignored in the Super Bowl. If JaMycal shows signs of his old self, Shanahan will get hasty with Hasty.

Air Jordan

With the 49ers leading 14-6 in the second quarter, the Rams had their extra point attempt blocked and their momentum tempered. The national television broadcast cut to commercial before announcers Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth could recognize who to credit for the play. It was Dion Jordan, who played four snaps on special teams and 26 snaps on defense.

Jordan lined up against Los Angeles lineman Tremayne Anchrum Jr. and used every inch of his 6-foot-6-inch frame to jump vertically with one arm in the air like a basketball player in the paint. On future kick attempts, keep an eye on Jordan, who is the 49ers' tallest defensive player not named Arik Armstead.

Grassu gets it done

Hroniss Grassu, the third-string center who entered the game after Ben Garland's injury, helped seal the win on Deebo Samuel's beast-mode run. Grassu, who played only seven snaps, created a running lane for Samuel by squaring up with Rams' defender Sebastian Joseph-Day. Grassu eventually pancaked his opponent and received violent celebratory headbutts from teammate Mike McGlinchey.

With news breaking Monday that Garland will miss time, the 49ers will either bring in a veteran (perhaps Alex Mack?) or hope Grassu can do his best 2019 Daniel Brunskill impression and come out of nowhere to stabilize the line. Interestingly, Grassu may be one of the 49ers' few lineman who is more adept at pass blocking than run blocking. In Week 1, he led the team with an 84.8 PFF pass blocking grade (0 pressures) compared to his 59.0 PFF run blocking rating.

Deebo drama

With the Niners needing a first down to ice the game, Samuel provided a highlight-reel finish by threading the needle through traffic and crashing into defenders like a bowling ball. But upon further review, it appears Samuel could have been penalized for lowering his head to initiate contact with Rams' defensive back Darious Williams.

Deebo Samuels could have been called for for lowering his helmet to initiate contact on his game-winning 3rd down conversion. @grantcohn #49ersvsRams #Rams #RamsHouse #49erstwitter #49ersfaithful pic.twitter.com/q7WJQgnDM7
— Tony Farmer (@Tonysmarkettips) October 19, 2020

Offensive players are rarely penalized in these circumstances, especially this late in the contest, but by the letter of the law, a flag could have been thrown. NFL rules state that the offensive player does not need to make contact with the head or neck of the opposing player for the flags to fly. It's a moot point now, but creates fun "what if" fodder while we await Week 7.