The 49ers entered the game as 3.5-point underdogs with rep questions about Nick Bosa and George Kittle, who were both coming off injuries, while the Rams were ready to debut their new-look addition on defense. They turned out not to be much of a factor, as San Francisco cruised on offense, aside from a Brock Purdy interception, and started off Week 1 on a great note.
Here are three quick takeaways from the 49ers Week 1 win over the Rams on Thursday.
Run game flourishes
Entering the game, one of the questions I had was about the run game for the 49ers, which was quite inefficient with Christian McCaffrey last year. A lot of the same infrastructure was returning, apart from the addition of Kaelon Black, and it wasn’t clear how much of a timeshare there’d be at running back.
Well, the 49ers showed their comfort level with Black, getting him in early and often in the first half, as he led the team with 14 carries. The duo combined for 133 yards on 24 carries, while Brock Purdy and Deebo Samuel added 29 and 12 yards on their own, respectively. The 49ers ran the ball 30 times for 174 yards on a very respectable 5.8 yards per carry. And they did so against one of the NFL’s best defensive lines.
I thought the 49ers offensive line played extremely well. And both of their backs looked explosive, as McCaffrey looked very fresh with the running back split. It was a real good day on the ground for the 49ers.
Linebackers lead physicality charge on defense
Fred Warner had a heck of a game, recording 11 tackles and really making his presence known everywhere on defense, but especially in the run game.
Warner flew into lanes, didn’t miss a tackle, and brought the physicality to a rivalry game on defense. But the 49ers as a whole exceeded my expectations in a big way on defense. I thought they’d struggle to defend the run, which happened at times. But the Rams finished with 122 yards on 4.2 yards per carry, as Kyren Williams had just 3.7 yards per carry on 11 attempts, while Blake Corum had 5.4 yards per carry on 10 rushes.
I thought San Francisco’s cornerbacks were also quite physical with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, as Matthew Stafford looked quite off. It was a very good showing from the players, and a very quality start for Raheem Morris.
Money down
The 49ers were the NFL’s best on third downs offensively last year, and they picked up where they left off on Thursday, extending that to both sides of the ball.
San Francisco went 7-of-12 on third downs on offense, which led to scoring drives of 15, 9, and 11 plays. Meanwhile, the Rams were just 2-of-9, as they had just one drive over seven plays outside of the final drive in garbage time.
The 49ers controlled the time of possession and felt in control throughout the second half as they extended drives and played their style of football. I also thought they did a great job on 1st and 2nd downs to make 3rd downs much more manageable.
They had just one third down with a to-go distance of more than five yards, which they converted. It was a good sign for Kyle Shanahan’s offense, as the Niners consistently won in big situations.
