Tag: 49ers commanders

7 takeaways after 49ers pull away from Commanders

Merry Christmas! Here are some takeaways from the 49ers’ win over the Commanders.

The 49ers thumped the Commanders 37-20 at Levi’s Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

It was their eighth consecutive victories and kept them in the hunt to climb higher than the No. 3 seed in the NFC. They did give up more than 70 rushing yards and more than 17 points for the first time since Week 7, which is probably a cause for concern (kidding! It isn’t!).

Anyway, it’s Christmas so let’s get to it:

49ers Week 16 notebook: Thoughts from win vs. Commanders

Thoughts and observations from each quarter of the 49ers’ win over the Commanders:

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The 49ers gave their fans an early Christmas present with a 37-20 win over the Commanders on Saturday at Levi’s Stadium. It was an uphill climb for San Francisco with some struggles in the red zone, but their defense came up with a couple of late turnovers to help put the game out of reach.

Here are our notes from the game:

Turns out George Kittle is hard to cover

George Kittle: Still good.

The 49ers are leaning hard on their star tight end once again, and for the second week in a row George Kittle is looking more like the dominant player the 49ers saw in the latter portion of last decade. San Francisco got a defensive stop on fourth-and-1 at Washington’s 34 to give their offense good field position. Two plays later QB Brock Purdy rolled out and found his TE running alone, and Kittle made one move to find pay dirt for his second TD of the game.

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WATCH: Brock Purdy uncorks long TD to George Kittle

WATCH: Brock Purdy throws a beauty of a deep shot to George Kittle for a score.

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49ers QB Brock Purdy struggled in the first half, but he came out on fire in the second half. He completed his first two throws for 13 yards each. Then on a third-and-6 from the Commanders’ 34, Purdy had time to uncork a strike to TE George Kittle for a touchdown. That is Kittle’s third touchdown in the last two weeks. He finished that drive with two catches for 47 yards and a score. It’s 14-7 early in the third quarter.

Ray-Ray McCloud rips off 71-yard TD run vs. Commanders

Don’t blink: Ray-Ray McCloud goes 71 yards for TD vs. Commanders. The #49ers are up 7-0.

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The 49ers’ offense got off to a slow start against the Commanders, but Ray-Ray McCloud came up with an explosive play to get them rolling. On second-and-10 at their own 29, they went with a handoff to McCloud around the left side. He followed a block by Christian McCaffrey to go untouched for 71 yards and a touchdown to put the 49ers up 7-0.

Brock Purdy’s pocket presence to come under the spotlight in Week 16

Brock Purdy’s pocket presence will be under the microscope Saturday. More from Nicholas McGee (@nicholasmcgee24).

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The external pressure for 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is largely off going into San Francisco’s Week 16 clash with the Commanders since he does not have to carry the burden of sealing a playoff berth after helping secure the NFC West title. However, on the field, may come under persistent duress against a Washington defense replenished by the return of its star pass rusher.

Washington will welcome back 2020 second-overall pick Chase Young, who has not played in 2022 because of a torn ACL and patellar tendon suffered last season, onto their starting defensive line for a game that is effectively a must-win for the Commanders.

The Commanders are essentially in desperation mode at 7-6-1 having lost at home to the Giants last Sunday, and that may have motivated the decision to finally get Young back in the mix at the end of a frustrating season for the former Ohio State Buckeye.

It remains to be seen how rusty he will be in his first game for over a year, but the addition of the 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year to a front that also includes Montez Sweat, Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen could see Purdy face the most consistent pass rush of his young NFL career. 

Indeed, with Young and Sweat playing the edge and Payne and Allen rushing up the middle, there is the possibility Purdy will have to deal with both interior and edge pressure. The 49ers’ offensive line has been playing well enough to mitigate the threat of the Commanders’ ultra-talented defensive front, but this game still figures to be a significant test of Purdy’s pocket movement and ability to throw on the run.

Purdy has progressed from the quarterback who was running into pressure at times when he was forced into action in the Week 13 win over the Miami Dolphins. He is now climbing the pocket consistently and making subtle horizontal movements to negate edge pressure.

Given the depth Washington has up front, Kyle Shanahan may look to get Purdy on the move outside the pocket more often, and that plays into his strengths.

Purdy has excelled at making second-reaction plays when going into scramble mode and looks extremely comfortable delivering on the move, whether that’s throwing the ball downfield or making astute plays with his legs as he did to effectively seal the division-clinching win over the Seahawks last week.

Changing the launch point for Purdy could be a key part of the 49er gameplan given how he has performed outside the pocket in his near three games as the starter this season. However, he will obviously still need to deliver from the pocket consistently for the 49ers to triumph.

A meeting with this defense and this pass rush will be a great barometer of Purdy the pocket quarterback and provide more of an insight into the viability of the plays that get him on the move as alternatives for the postseason when the Niners face more defenses that can make his life uncomfortable.

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Commanders pose unique problem for 49ers, Brock Purdy

The 49ers should probably win on Saturday, but Washington poses a unique problem that’ll be a huge test for QB Brock Purdy.

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The 49ers and quarterback Brock Purdy will face a new, unique challenge when they host the Commanders at Levi’s Stadium on Saturday. Purdy has passed all of his tests in his 11 quarters of football, but Saturday will offer a new test that some quarterbacks never quite learn to pass.

Washington’s defensive line is very good, but it’s the interior of that line that could pose a real problem for Purdy. This has less to do with him being a rookie seventh-round pick, though those factors don’t necessarily help, but almost every quarterback struggles when pressure comes directly up the middle.

The Commanders roll out a dominant pair of interior linemen with Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne – both Alabama products taken in the first round by Washington one year apart in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Allen is a Pro Bowler for the second consecutive year and could be en route to an All-Pro nod. His 47 pressures are tied for fifth among interior DL per Pro Football Focus. He also has 7.5 sacks and 17 QB hits.

If that’s not enough, he lines up alongside Payne who is tied for the 13th among interior D-linemen with 37 pressures. He’s turned those into a career-high 8.5 sacks with a career-high 16 QB hits.

That duo will line up against an interior offensive line that’s had an up-and-down year for San Francisco. Left guard Aaron Banks is leading the 49ers in pressures allowed with 25. Center Jake Brendel has allowed 10 pressures, and the right guard tandem of Spencer Burford and Daniel Brunskill have given up a combined 19.

San Francisco’s offensive success could come down to how well Purdy handles it when one of Allen or Payne win their matchup and find their way into the backfield with a straight line to the 49ers’ signal caller.

Purdy this season has seen his efficiency dip dramatically when he’s pressured. His completion rate falls to 53.8 percent and his yards per attempt dips to 6.6. It’s worth noting a decline in production is typical for QBs under duress, but that pressure up the middle with no blitzer to free up an area of the field can cause even the best QBs to stumble.

The good news is the 49ers have a good play caller and plenty of weapons. There are ways they can mitigate that rush by getting their run game going, utilizing play action, and moving the pocket. Purdy’s command of the pocket will help some, but it would be worthwhile to design some rollouts where he can get in space and operate without speeding up his clock.

This is still a game the 49ers should win, and if they have success either blocking the pair of Washington DL or moving the ball despite them winning reps, it’ll be hard to find reasons to discount this San Francisco offense.

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