Tag: 49ers numbers

George Kittle could be top 3 pass catcher in 49ers history with big Week 8

George Kittle could surpass a couple of 49ers legends on the all-time receiving yards list with a big game in Week 8.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has a chance to cement himself as a franchise legend with a big game in Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys.

Never mind for a moment Kittle’s gregarious personality, which combined with his productivity has already put him in the realm of all-time greats in 49ers history.

A big Week 8 showing could land Kittle at No. 3 in the 49ers’ all-time receiving yards list. He’s entering the week at No. 5, but he needs just 102 yards to leap into the top three.

Here’s what the top-five looks like entering Sunday night’s game:

1. WR Jerry Rice: 19,247
2. WR Terrell Owens: 8,572
3. WR Dwight Clark: 6,750
4. WR Gene Washington: 6,664
5. TE George Kittle: 6,649

Kittle is already more than 1,000 yards clear of Vernon Davis for the most receiving yards by a TE in franchise history.

It’ll be interesting to see if Kittle can eventually track down Owens. Kittle is on track for exactly 1,000 yards in 2024. That would put him at 7,274 yards –leaving him 1,298 yards shy of Owens. Two more years with 650 yards in each season would be enough to climb to No. 2 in 49ers history. He’d need to average 433 yards per season with the 49ers if he plays for three more years in San Francisco.

Before trying to track down Owens, however, Kittle needs to play in Week 8. He’s dealing with a foot sprain that held him out of Wednesday’s practice. He returned Thursday, which is a good sign for his chances to play against the Cowboys and continue his trek up the 49ers’ all-time receiving yards leaderboard.

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Kyle Juszczyk explains evolution of 49ers offense in 2024

Why the 49ers offense has evolved so much this year:

There aren’t many players more familiar with the San Francisco 49ers offense than fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who has been with the club since signing as a free agent in 2017.

This season has been a little different than the last couple of years for the 49ers’ offense. They’re without reigning Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey, they’re struggling to score touchdowns in the red zone, and their trademark yards-after-catch haven’t been there.

Instead, San Francisco and quarterback Brock Purdy are pushing the ball down the field more often and finding throws outside the middle of the field where they’ve typically thrived.

Juszczyk joined the Candlestick Chronicles podcast with POM Wonderful pomegranate juice and explained that the changing offense is due to normal evolution, but it’s also a response to how they’re being defended.

“Like everything I think it’s a combination of both,” Juszczyk said. “I think when you speak about the YAC numbers, it’s harder to get yards after catch or contact when you’re throwing the ball downfield more. Whereas when you get these short dump-offs, and that’s where it’s kinda easier to gets yards after catch because defenses are further back.

“And yeah I think for so many years we were known for these in-breaking routes, throwing the ball over the middle, like that was most definitely our bread and butter. So teams are gonna start to adjust to that, and it’s just kinda natural that we start throwing out-breaking routes. It’s a cyclical thing and I’m sure that by the end of the season throwing the ball over the middle is gonna be our bread and butter again. It’s always gonna continue to go back and forth. It’s a chess match. So that’s where I really do think it’s a little bit of both. It’s the evolution of the offense. It’s Brock being more comfortable in the pocket, staying in there longer to take shots downfield. It’s how teams play us. It’s always a little bit of everything.”

Finding a way to utilize shorter throws and create more yards after catch may be the ultimate key to the 49ers’ success this season.

Purdy has already shown the ability to stretch defenses vertically. If they can supplement that with the short game and YAC they’ve been so good with the last few years, it might make them the best offense in the league.

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How will Christian McCaffrey return impact 49ers offense?

Christian McCaffrey’s return won’t make the 49ers’ offense look like it did last year, but it should help in a couple of key areas.

The San Francisco 49ers have somehow managed to churn out a productive, efficient offense even without running back Christian McCaffrey.

Just because they’ve been able to churn out yards and points doesn’t mean life hasn’t been more difficult for the 49ers without the reigning Offensive Player of the Year. His return, which could be coming sooner rather than later, should make a couple of things much easier for the 49ers.

The first area McCaffrey should help is in the red zone. Last season the 49ers were the No. 1 red zone team in the NFL, scoring touchdowns on 67.2 percent of their red zone trips. This season without McCaffrey that number has plummeted to 44.4 percent.

His nose for the end zone as a runner alone will help, but his dual-threat skill set will open a ton of things up down near the end zone.

McCaffrey is a threat as a receiver, which defenses have to respect when he’s out in a route. He can be moved around to help manipulate defenders and open up space for tight end George Kittle and wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.

Neither Samuel nor Kittle are great at creating separation, which becomes a significant problem in the confined spaces of the red zone. Having McCaffrey to occupy defenders could make life easier for the 49ers’ other pass catchers.

That’s the same way he can help elsewhere on the field where defenses have started clogging the middle of the field and taking away some of the space the 49ers offense has thrived in.

Quarterback Brock Purdy is still working the middle of the field, but the result of those throws isn’t quite the same as it was over the last few seasons. 49ers pass catchers are making receptions in the middle of the field and not creating yards after the catch.

Last season Samuel racked up 8.7 yards-after-catch per reception. Kittle was at 7.3, while McCaffrey and RB Jordan Mason were both at 7.0 YAC/reception.

This year Samuel is down to 7.6 in that category. Mason is at 5.6 and Kittle’s number has fallen all the way to 3.5.

Aiyuk’s is largely unchanged.

Getting McCaffrey back where defenders have to vacate the middle of the field to account for him as a receiver should generate more space and more YAC opportunities for 49ers receivers.

We’ll also likely see Purdy’s completion rate tick up toward the 69.4 percent mark he landed on last season. This year as his downfield throws have skyrocketed, his completion rate has started falling. Part of the push downfield is likely due to how teams are defending the 49ers, but it stands to reason Purdy will take easier throws to McCaffrey instead of scrambling and creating out of structure the way he has so often this season.

It’s unlikely the 49ers’ offense will be an exact replica of last year when McCaffrey returns, but he should make some of the difficult things like red zone TDs and short-area throws much easier when he’s finally back on the field.

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Kyle Shanahan explains why 49ers have gone away from successful offensive play type

Kyle Shanahan’s explanation for the 49ers’ dip in play action rate lines up with the numbers. A deep-ish dive:

There was a curious trend for the San Francisco 49ers’ offense through the first five weeks of the 2024 season.

After leaning heavily on play-action through Brock Purdy’s first season-plus, they started going away from it this year. It would’ve made sense had Purdy’s numbers out of play action started dipping, but he was still seeing a massive uptick in productivity on those plays.

In 2022 the 49ers ran play action 26.6 percent of the time with Purdy under center. That number dipped a little to 23.0 percent last year in his first full season as a starter.

Going into Week 6 of this season, the play action rate had plummeted to 17.6 percent.

It was a head-scratching choice that head coach Kyle Shanahan explained in a press conference Wednesday.

“No, we just try to run what we think looks good on tape and it kind of just depends on how people are playing us and sometimes we think it looks really good, sometimes we think it’s not so good,” Shanahan said. “So it’s not like we don’t just do things every week because we do it. I think it’s just been just a matter of how the schedule’s played out.”

We dug into some of the 49ers’ play action numbers and it was pretty easy to spot what got the team’s play action rate down. It turns out blitzing San Francisco heavily this season will typically get them out of their play action game.

Here’s a handy graph we made using data from Pro Football Focus:

The 49ers’ play-action rate against the Vikings was just 6.7 percent thanks to Minnesota blitzing Purdy on 51.1 percent of his dropbacks.

Against the Patriots’ 40.0 percent blitz rate, San Francisco ran play action just 13.3 percent of the time.

Conversely, the 49ers’ season-high 29.0 percent play action rate against the Seahawks came with Seattle blitzing on a season-low 19.4 percent of the 49ers’ dropbacks.

The only real outlier from this trend is Week 5 where the Cardinals brought a blitz on 46.3 percent of Purdy’s dropbacks and the 49ers still passed with play action 24.4 percent of the time. Interestingly, that Week 5 performance was also Purdy’s worst of the year. He completed just 54.3 percent of his throws and tossed two interceptions with only one touchdown for a season-low 62.1 quarterback rating.

This all tracks with what Shanahan told reporters in response to questions about the team’s drop in play action rate. Defenses that blitz more are generally going to keep the 49ers from running longer-developing plays that require a fake handoff.

Eliminating the Patriots and Vikings games puts the 49ers’ play action rate at 24.4 percent – right between what it was in Purdy’s first two years.

Play action hasn’t been abandoned by the 49ers. Defenses are just playing them a little differently in 2024. That’ll always be an important element to the 49ers’ passing game, particularly given how effective their run game is. However, how Purdy adjusts against the blitz and how the offense adapts to punish teams for bringing extra pass rushers will ultimately determine their success on that side of the ball this season.

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1 offensive trend 49ers must carry over from Week 6

The 49ers got back to what works on offense against Seattle, a trend that should help them entering a brutal part of their schedule.

There’s a clear trend the San Francisco 49ers needed to continue following this season, and they did it in the team’s Week 6 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

Quarterback Brock Purdy is excellent in play action, but his play action rate dipped from 2022 to 2023, and then from 2023 to 2024. Entering Thursday’s game he was running play action just 17.6 percent of the time per Pro Football Focus.

Thursday the 49ers utilized play action on season-high 29 percent of Purdy’s dropbacks. It probably isn’t a coincidence that the uptick in play action usage came in the same game San Francisco posted a season-high 36 points and 483 total yards.

Purdy wasn’t as successful as usual out of play action Thursday, but his season numbers in that concept still outshine his numbers in non-play action.

In play action Purdy is completing 72.2 percent of his throws this season, averages 12.6 yards per attempt and has two touchdowns with no interceptions.

Without play action, Purdy is at 63.8 percent completions, 7.9 yards per attempt, seven touchdowns and four interceptions.

By getting their play-action game going against Seattle, they also got their rushing attack going with a season-high 228 rushing yards on 33 carries.

It’s clear the maximized version of the 49ers’ offense involves a heavy dose of play action that gets linebackers moving and playing slower than they might normally play. It worked Thursday night against the Seahawks, and it’s something they need to continue doing heading into a Week 7 showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs.

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49ers WR accomplishes career feat never reached by WR in NFL history

Deebo Samuel is incredible.

It’s not a huge surprise when San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel does something unique at his position.

After all, Samuel effectively pioneered the “wide back” role that no other wide receiver has been able to replicate. Samuel’s 2021 All-Pro season featured 1,408 receiving yards and a wide receiver record 365 rushing yards. He also posted 14 total touchdowns that season.

While he’s not as prolific as a runner in 2024, Samuel’s multifaceted skill set still shines through, and there’s nothing that highlights that more than what he accomplished Thursday night in the 49ers’ 36-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

In the second quarter Samuel got loose up the left sideline. After Seahawks safety Julian Love badly misplayed the ball, Samuel outran the entire Seattle defense for a 76-yard score. It marked his second receiving TD of the year, and the 20th receiving touchdown of his career.

Per NFL Network’s Bridget Condon, Samuel became the first wide receiver in NFL history with 20 receiving touchdowns and 20 rushing touchdowns.

Reaching the 20/20 plateau is quite a feat regardless of position though. Only 19 players in history have done it — all running backs. Saints RB Alvin Kamara, Commanders RB Austin Ekeler, and Samuel’s teammate with the 49ers Christian McCaffrey are the three other active players on the list per Stathead’s search database.

The remarkable thing with Samuel is that there are no other WRs even close in history. Jerry Rice’s 10 rushing TDs are the second most for a WR. Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill is next on the list with seven. He’s tied with Bills WR Curtis Samuel.

Samuel may never replicate his dynamic 2021 season, but his unique versatility will live on forever in stats like this one where he became the first, and maybe last, receiver to hit 20 TDs in the air and on the ground.

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1 big change 49ers can make to help QB Brock Purdy

Here’s one way the 49ers can help their offense.

It’s hard to watch the San Francisco 49ers offense this season and not notice a very different version of that unit than we’ve seen in recent years.

Quarterback Brock Purdy has started relying heavily on downfield throws, and not so much on yards after catch. While Purdy is playing well, the 49ers’ offense has stagnated at times during the season.

One way they might be able to help is by getting back to an old staple: play-action passing.

The 49ers through Purdy’s first season-plus relied a ton on play action. In 2022 when he took over as a rookie, 26.6 percent of his dropbacks were play action according to Pro Football Focus. That trend continued in 2023 with 23.0 percent of his dropbacks featuring play action.

In 2024 that percentage has plummeted to 17.6 percent in a baffling shift from head coach Kyle Shanahan.

To make matters worse, Purdy has better numbers in play action this year than he has at any point in his career. This season he’s completing 78.6 percent of his play action throws and averaging a whopping 12.4 yards per attempt.

In 2022 his completion rate was at 67.7 percent with 10.1 yards per attempt. In 2023 the YPA stayed stagnant while his completion rate leapt to 77.3 percent.

This season in particular the move away from play action throws becomes even more head-scratching considering his numbers outside of it. Without play action this season, Purdy’s completion rate is at 62.8 percent, while his yards-per-attempt sits at 8.0. All four of his INTs have come without play action. His completion rate jumps 15.8 points and his YPA shoots up by 4.4 yards with the fake involved.

Perhaps moving away from play action has been personnel-related. Maybe it has to do with how the 49ers are being defended. It’s clear they have to find ways to sprinkle in more play action dropbacks though because moving away from it hasn’t been helpful. The sooner they start doing it at a higher rate, the sooner they put themselves in a position to maximize their offense and their quarterback.

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49ers lead NFL in crucial offensive category by a lot over last 3 years

The 49ers create so many explosive plays it’s ridiculous.

The San Francisco 49ers haven’t built a perfect NFL offense, but it’s not far off when their group is fully healthy.

It’s easy to point to various metrics like points and yards and yards per play to validate just how good San Francisco’s offense has been over the last three seasons. There’s another stat that perhaps best defines what makes the 49ers special on that side of the ball.

Since 2022, no team has created more explosive plays than the 49ers. An explosive play is a run of 10-plus yards or a pass of 20-plus yards. The distance between San Francsico and No. 2 on that list is greater than the difference between Nos. 2 and 5.

Here are the explosive play leaders from the 2022 season through Week 4 of the 2024 campaign, via the 49ers communications staff:

1. San Francisco 49ers, 300
2. Baltimore Ravens, 276
3. Detroit Lions, 269
4. Philadelphia Eagles, 267
5. Miami Dolphins, 255

They figure to be at or near the top of the league again this season. In 2024 the 49ers have created 34 explosives. That’s just four behind the NFL-leading Green Bay Packers.

If they’re able to manage six explosives Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, it’ll be the fourth time they’ve reached the 40 mark through five games in franchise history. The last time they did it was in 2019 when they had 43 such plays in five games.

There’s a good chance they’ll hit that mark, and they have a chance of eclipsing the 2019 number. They’re already averaging 8.5 explosives per game, and now they’ll face a Cardinals defense that’s given up 22 such plays this season. That’s tied for the 12th-most in the NFL.

If the 49ers can continue creating explosives this season, their offense will be in a good spot to compete for a championship.

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Ranking all the No. 4s in 49ers history

We ranked all the players to wear No. 4 for the San Francisco 49ers in honor of Fourth of July.

Happy Fourth of July!

In honor of the holiday, we went back through Pro Football Reference’s team number database and gathered all the players to wear No. 4 in 49ers history. Once we had the collection of 10 players, we went about ranking the punter-heavy group in order from worst to best.

Given the difficulty of gathering statistical production for punters, length of tenure was a significant factor in putting our list together.

49ers new QB Trey Lance chooses jersey number

New San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance has chosen which jersey number he will be wearing on Sundays for the red and gold.

Former North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance has quickly become a beacon of hope for San Francisco 49ers faithful. On the 49ers’ official Twitter account, the franchise revealed that he will be wearing the number 5, the same number he wore in college.

Lance will not be the first notable signal-caller to suit up in number 5 for the red and gold. Former 49ers Pro Bowl quarterback Jeff Garcia suited up with the same number for the franchise from 1999-2003.

The No. 5 jersey was most recently occupied by former undrafted linebacker Jonas Griffith, so it probably wasn’t hard for the No. 3 pick to get his preferred number.