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The 49ers lost their home opener after coming out flat and trying to rally late against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night. San Francisco could have been completely embarrassed by the Packers. Instead, Trenton Cannon’s 68-yard kicking return gave the Niners new energy. After that, we had a ball game.
We take a look at my five takeaways below.
Too much horizontal attack
Head Coach Kyle Shanahan is a wizard who calls for the game, but I think he got in his own way on Sunday. The pre-engagement movement is an essential part of Shanahan’s offensive. The truth is, Shanahan was not confident in putting the game in the hands of Jimmy Garoppolo and was not overly confident in the running game at first. San Francisco had a ton of screens and end screens, where it felt like they weren’t going anywhere.
This takeaway is not a shot against Shanahan but further proof that the attacking cap isn’t high when Garoppolo is QB.
Jimmy Garoppolo holds back the offensive
Garoppolo really needed a solid performance to leave Trey Lance in the rearview mirror. Unfortunately, that did not happen on Sunday. On the contrary, it showed that Garoppolo is holding back the offensive. San Francisco’s difficult three-game streak began on Sunday and the Niners have made no statement.
Garoppolo’s completion percentage over expectations was -5.3 compared to Rodgers’ 13.1. I am not an analytical type but this statistic is more than glaring. Garoppolo’s bad play sparked the call for conservative play.
Their next two opponents are the Settle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals. Two teams that have high power offenses. I doubt Shanahan is pulling Garoppolo this week, so he really needs to step things up. Those next two NFC West Division games can be statement wins.
Disappointing Rush Attack Killed Readers
At first it seemed like Shanahan didn’t want to attempt to throw the ball. The involvement of Kyle Juszczyk was edifying since I vouched for him to have more ball. However, I would be lying if I said the rushed attack didn’t look weird at the start of the game. At first it seemed like Shanahan deliberately didn’t want to pass the ball to Trey Sermon.
George Kittle said the Packers defended their outer zone by “setting up the lead with two guys and loading the box.” Sermon’s 16-yard run in the third quarter was almost a third of the 49ers’ total on the ground. I was extremely surprised that Shanahan didn’t introduce Lance more as a runner.
The defense had some special moments but they are far from the elite
The 49ers defense had some memorable moments. They had a save in the red zone after Garoppolo’s interception and only gave up one goal after a Garoppolo fumble in the fourth quarter in San Francisco territory.
I thought the Niners would take advantage of the Packers’ inexperienced offensive line. However, the defensive line did not generate enough pressure. Nick Bosa seemed to be on fire in the first quarter, but calmed down when the game was on. Pass-rush was seen as a highlight at the start of the season.
San Francisco will need to improve their passing rush ability as they face two mobile quarterbacks in the coming weeks.
The 49ers lost a team
Sunday’s loss was the exact opposite of complementary football. Mistakes, poor execution and being out coached were all factors on Sunday. You can blame Shanahan, Ryans, and Garoppolo but you wouldn’t get anything out of it. Football is a team sport, and there are a lot of fingers to point.
San Francisco needs to perform better on offense and defense or their Super Bowl window will close quickly.
Outlook
Sunday’s game could be seen as a character-building loss. However, San Francisco has seen a lot of personality losses in 2020.
It is still early in the season and the team will continue to grow. Growth will be a recurring thing for this team. San Francisco’s efforts are to be commended but not overly celebrated.
Rusell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks will be a tough challenge for this 49er team next week.
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