The 49ers seem to have found an answer to their wide receiver problem, and it came at just the right time.
After drops plagued the receiving corps in a Week 10 loss to the Seahawks, and nearly doomed them early in Week 11 vs. the Cardinals, the 49ers receiving corps has started to solidify thanks to the trio of Emmanuel Sanders, Deebo Samuel and Kendrick Bourne.
Those three receivers ate up nearly all of the snaps for receivers Sunday in Baltimore. Sanders played 56 of 57 snaps. Samuel played 55, and Bourne played 25. The only other receiver to get playing time on offense was Richie James, who played two. Marquise Goodwin saw just one play on special teams, while Dante Pettis missed the contest with a knee injury.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday told reporters that the Sanders-Samuel-Bourne trio are the three players who’ve separated themselves in a once underwhelming receivers room.
“We feel those three guys have earned the right to be out there more than the rest,” Shanahan said. “We feel they have been the most consistent and started playing the best here over the last month or so. So, we have planned to do that more. I don’t like how much they went. I think we do have to rotate a little bit more and keep those guys fresh.”
Sanders, Samuel and Bourne wound up catching nine passes for 143 yards and a touchdown. Jimmy Garoppolo completed just 15 throws for 165 yards and one touchdown. The receivers were responsible for effectively all of the team’s production through the air on a rainy Baltimore afternoon.
Their production is welcome after the passing game hit a low point against the Seahawks. Sanders got hurt in that game, and key drops by Samuel, Pettis, Goodwin and Bourne all played a role in the 49ers’ 27-24 overtime loss. Samuel had a good game with eight catches for 112 yards, but the overall production from the receiving corps looked like it might plague the 49ers all season.
Sanders on Sunday looked healthier than he’s looked since sustaining a rib injury against Seattle. Samuel continues to develop into a weapon, going up to haul in a 33-yard touchdown catch between two defenders. And Bourne caught all three balls thrown his way, including a nice catch on a ball thrown low and behind him that he turned upfield for a 30-yard completion.
They’ve combined for 87 catches, 1,114 yards and eight touchdowns through 13 weeks, and Sanders has only played with the club since Week 8. The 49ers’ top three wide receivers through all of last season (Bourne, Pettis and Trent Taylor) combined for 95 receptions, 1,169 yards and 10 touchdowns. Bourne’s team-best 487 yards from last season have already been eclipsed by Samuel, with Bourne and Sanders set to pass or get near that mark by the end of the year.
Getting high-end production from that group is less important than getting consistent production. They’ve proven they can be dangerous, and teams are going to have to start ensuring they’re not selling out to stop the 49ers’ run game. Better receivers will mean a more diverse, effective offensive attack. Tack on George Kittle’s regular dominance, Kyle Juszczyk and the team’s quartet of running backs, and suddenly there’s a group of pass catchers with the chance to be dominant.
Despite a minimal role for Richie James, and declining a declining role for Goodwin, Shanahan is still optimistic the team will continue working to get them more involved and producing with some consistency.
“We also have confidence in the other two guys that are there so we need to use them,” the head coach said. “Richie came in and I know made a huge block on Raheem’s (Mostert) long touchdown run, and I know ‘Quise is ready to go. So, we’ve got to make sure that we do get them in a little bit more. That has changed here and it’s gotten a little more each week here over the last month.”
The good news for the 49ers is they’re no longer in a position where they have to play unproductive receivers in hopes of getting a breakout game. They have a group they know they can rely on, which allows them to work the guys lower on the roster in a little more judiciously.
Roles may expand some for players like James, Goodwin and Pettis, but the emergence of Sanders, Samuel and Bourne as a reliable trio has the 49ers offense in position to be as potent as its ever been just in time for a playoff run.