Tag: 49ers offense

Kyle Shanahan explains how he’ll reinvent 49ers offense in offseason

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan won’t make major changes to his offense, but their will be some.

The San Francisco 49ers need to do something different offensively.

Last season they were one of the best outfits in the NFL. This season they’ve sputtered on that side of the ball. Injuries certainly played a role, but it doesn’t appear that whatever the 49ers have been doing offensively can work without players like Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk available and playing at a high level.

Those struggles, including 10 points in each of Week 12 and 13, followed by a six-point performance in Week 15, have led to questions about the viability of Shanahan’s offense as presently constructed. Shanahan said any adaptations to his offense will be based on what’s best for the team’s personnel.

“That’s what you try to do every single week,” Shanahan said. “That’s what you try to always do. But it’s kind of like the other question when talking about schemes, you don’t just say, ‘Hey, today I’m going to try to run the wishbone offense and stuff.’ It’s what are the players that you have, what do you believe in and what gives those guys the best chance to succeed? For a little bit here, we almost went with the running quarterback, possibly with [Dallas Cowboys QB] Trey [Lance]. You saw a different offense when he got out there.

“You see different things. You’ve got to adjust your players. I know what I want to do. I think we’ve got the players here to do that stuff. But reinventing yourself as you ask, I did that having a mustache this offseason for a little bit. That’s how I would look at that. And I’m totally joking, but it’s when it comes to football, football’s, that’s why I think coaches get a little too much credit too when a really good scheme is putting the players that you have in the best chance they have to max out and do their best. That’s what we’re gonna always try to do. The scheme will change with that.”

It stands to reason in 2025 we’ll see less reliance on McCaffrey given the team’s issues scoring in the red zone without him this season. There’s also likely to be an adjustment to a version of Samuel that hasn’t been able to take over games via screen passes and designed runs.

Whatever changes need to be made on offense for the 49ers, adapting isn’t something new to Shanahan.

“When I got in the league, you see certain things and I ran a certain offense at Houston when I was there, went to Washington, tried to do a real similar offense and it was totally different personnel and I realized I couldn’t run that same thing and I had to adjust and each year was different,” Shanahan said. “Then we got [Washington Commanders former QB] Robert [Griffin III] in there, which was a quarterback who had a running element, then I had to do stuff that I’d never done before. Not because you’re just reinventing yourself or trying to change the league because you’re trying to figure out what can help the guys that you have be successful. And that can change all the time depending on the player’s skillset.

“But, I’d say as a coach that if you want to make it in this league and you want to have some success in this league you better be able to adjust to anything or you’re only going to be successful when you have the perfect situations.”

How Shanahan tweaks his offense to whatever his personnel is after the offseason will be the greatest factor in determining whether the 49ers are able to open another Super Bowl window.

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1 big offensive adjustment 49ers must make in final 3 games of 2024 season

It’s Ricky Pearsall time.

With the postseason all but out of their grasp, the San Francisco 49ers can now start operating with the 2025 season in mind.

That doesn’t mean the dreaded ‘tank’ where the team tries losing games to improve its draft position. It does mean they should be looking to see exactly what they have with some of the players on their roster in the final three games.

One key adjustment they need to make while turning their sights toward 2025 and beyond is getting first-round wide receiver Ricky Pearsall more involved in the offense.

Pearsall this season has 24 targets in eight games, but after earning six targets in Week 10, he has only nine targets in the five games since. Overall he’s turned his opportunities into 13 catches for 153 yards and one touchdown.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday told reporters he’s happy with the rookie now that he’s getting a regular chance to play and practice.

“I think Ricky’s doing a hell of a job,” Shanahan said. “I know everyone talks about the gunshot wound, but what people don’t realize is, I think I said a couple weeks ago, but he only had three practices before that gunshot wound. He missed all OTAs and all of training camp and then to get that gunshot basically went from Florida to us halfway through the season. So, I thought he did a hell of a job coming back from that, trying to learn and practice as he goes. He’s been banged up a little bit, started in Green Bay. I think he’s fought through that here the last couple weeks. I thought he did some real good stuff on tape last week. He had a couple big catches. I think he’s going the right direction and hope it keeps improving here these next three games.”

One way to ensure he’s improving is trying to get him the ball more often. In that Week 10 game where he had six targets, Pearsall hauled in four of them for 73 yards and a touchdown. His absence from the offense may just be a result of the injury issues Shanahan mentioned, but that’s something they need to resolve before the season ends.

Pearsall is a key piece of their receiving corps in the future and ironing out a more accurate trajectory for his immediate future will play a significant role in how the 49ers should operate in the offseason.

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49ers 1st-half MVP on offense looks to be entering a 2nd prime

Offensive MVP for the 49ers was a small surprise given the list of options:

There’s a clear-cut offensive MVP for the San Francisco 49ers through the first half of the 2024 season, but it wouldn’t likely have been a name atop the list of contenders to start the year.

It isn’t always easy to parse an offensive MVP for a team as loaded as San Francisco on that side of the ball. However, injuries and a handful of other factors made it easy to identify tight end George Kittle as the 49ers’ best offensive player through eight games.

Running back Jordan Mason was in the mix, but was slowed down by a shoulder injury in two out of the last three weeks. Quarterback Brock Purdy has had too many turnovers to win the spot despite a strong first half. Wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel were too up-and-down in the first eight games to secure consideration.

That leaves Kittle, who leads the 49ers in targets (49), receptions (40), receiving yards (503), and total touchdowns (six), as the easy option.

There wasn’t a better display of Kittle’s value than his performance in Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys. Aiyuk was out after suffering a season-ending knee injury. WR Jauan Jennings was also out because of a hip issue. Mason ended up leaving the game in the second quarter as well.

Purdy leaned on Kittle to be a playmaker in the passing game, and the 31-year-old TE delivered. He hauled in six of his seven targets for 128 yards and one touchdown. Kittle remains a tone-setter for the 49ers’ offense as a receiver, and with his work as a run blocker.

There is a ton of talent on the offensive side of the ball for San Francisco, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the second half features a different MVP. For the first eight games, though, Kittle looked more like a player entering his prime than one in his early 30s. That’s why he gets the nod for our early offensive MVP award.

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USA TODAY has intriguing idea for how 49ers can use offensive superstar

Could something of a position change be coming for Christian McCaffrey?

There are clear ways the return of running back Christian McCaffrey will help the San Francisco 49ers.

They’ve been one of the most efficient offenses in the NFL through eight weeks. They’re No. 2 in the league in yards per play and No. 2 in percentage of drives that end in a score. Despite that, they’re No. 8 in total scoring because they’ve struggled to find the end zone.

McCaffrey’s return should help them dramatically in that area. However, they’ll have to be judicious in the way they deploy the reigning Offensive Player of the Year. That’s where USA TODAY’s Nate Davis offered an interesting idea for how the 49ers can use McCaffrey.

In his weekly power rankings, Davis called for something of a position change for McCaffrey:

If Christian McCaffrey and his Achilles issues are indeed on the other side of this week’s bye, you wonder if the Niners should maybe deploy him more heavily in the slot to bolster a weakened receiver corps and let RBs Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo continue doing their spectacular work out of the backfield.

This is an interesting idea!

McCaffrey’s Achilles tendinitis will require a little bit of management from the 49ers, meaning they’re unlikely to be able to lean on him for 21-plus touches per game like they did last year.

Using McCaffrey as a receiver isn’t a novel idea. He lined up in the slot or out wide on 17.7 percent of his snaps last season, and averaged 11.1 snaps at those two spots per game.

Perhaps if the 49ers want to lighten McCaffrey’s overall workload without removing him from the field, they can utilize him as a receiver on something closer to 30 percent of his snaps. From there they can sprinkle in Mason and Guerendo to ensure they’re getting touches for the other players in their backfield as well.

At the same time, they’d be taking some of the onus off of WRs Chris Conley, Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing and Ronnie Bell to be playmakers in the passing game.

Don’t be surprised if the 49ers utilize some form of this strategy once McCaffrey returns. It may not be a 30 percent snap rate at receiver, but we can expect an uptick in his playing time at that spot as the club tries to ensure they’re keeping him as healthy as possible to try and make a playoff run.

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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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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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49ers on track for highest-scoring offense in team history

This 49ers offense is on pace to be the most prolific in franchise history.

The 49ers’ 45-point outburst vs. the Cardinals in Week 15 put them at 30.3 points per game for the season. It’s not easy to average 30 for an entire year, and this year’s club is on track to be the highest-scoring in franchise history.

Through 14 games this season San Francisco has 425 points. That’s the 14th-highest total in club history. If they average 30 in their next two games they’ll be at 485 points – their third-highest mark ever behind the 1948 and 1994 teams.

In 1948 the team scored a whopping 495 points in just 14 games. In 1994 they set the franchise record with 505 point in their 16 contests.

While the 1994 team benefitted from the two extra games the ’48 club didn’t get, this year’s team could also set a franchise record with the benefit of an extra game.

If they do get to 485 heading into the final game, they’d need just 21 points to set the franchise scoring record. Given that they’ll likely need to win out to secure a No. 1 seed in the NFC, it’s certainly on the table that they continue racking up a record-number of points.

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National reaction to Eagles’ Dom DiSandro being banned from sidelines for rest of regular season

According to Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press, Philadelphia Eagles Security Chiefs Dom DiSandro has been barred from being on the sidelines for rest of 2023 regular season

Dom DiSandro will remain a key figure for the Eagles on and off the field, but his role on the sidelines for games has been reduced for the remainder of the 2023 NFL season.

According to Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press, Philadelphia’s security chief will remain banned from being on the sidelines after a thorogh investigation by the league.

DiSandro will still be allowed to travel with the team to Seattle for its Monday night game and he can perform all other work duties but he is not permitted on the sideline,the Associated Press reports.

According to Ian Rapoport, DiSandro can return to the sidelines during the playoffs.

Eagles vs. Cowboys: Takeaways from first half as Dallas holds a 24-6 lead

We’re looking at takeawRays from the first half as the Dallas Cowboys hold a 24-6 lead over the Philadelphia Eagles

Jalen Hurts was 7-13 passing, for 92 yards and another costly turnnover as the Eagles offense did little to support their struggling defense.

Dallas was efficient in the first half, and capitalized on several mistakes to take a 24-6 first half lead.

DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown combined for 4 catches, and 77 yards in the first half, while Zach Cunningham led the Eagles with six tackles, and Darius Slay had four tackles and 2 passes defended in the first half.