Tag: 49ers roster

It’s impossible to ignore Raheem Mostert’s historic production

Raheem Mostert is playing like an all-time great running back.

Raheem Mostert’s emergence over the last three weeks has buoyed a struggling 49ers run game. It’s not the first time he’s flashed as a productive NFL running back, but now he’s leaving the 49ers’ coaching staff no choice but to play him.

With Tevin Coleman struggling and Matt Breida dealing with an injury, Mostert has become an integral part of the rushing attack. He’s responded to the opportunity with 35 carries for 260 yards (7.4 yards per carry) and three touchdowns, along with five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown.

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His three touchdowns have come in each of the last three games, including one against the Ravens when he set career highs in carries (19) and yards (146).

His 29 carries the last two weeks are his most ever in a two-game stretch.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said the touches aren’t going away as long as Mostert keeps producing.

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“Raheem’s earned it over these last few weeks,” Shanahan said. “I mean, how many games can you go and how many years can you go averaging six yards a carry, somewhere in there? I mean, we keep trying to balance it out and stuff, but what Raheem has done these last few weeks and has continued to do, we need to give him more opportunities. He’s given us no choice. I’m happy for him and it’s been great. He’s been extremely impressive.”

Mostert is averaging 6.0 yards per carry on 102 attempts. Only 27 players have ever averaged 6 yards per carry on 100-plus rushes over the course of a season, and 11 of them were quarterbacks.

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This is proving to be more the norm than a flash in the pan for the former undrafted free agent. His numbers in three seasons have been eye-popping despite inconsistent work.

Since Shanahan arrived in 2017, Mostert has 899 yards and five touchdowns . on 142 attempts. That’s good for 6.3 yards per carry. Only five other players have ever done that in their careers: Michael Vick, Tavon Austin, Bobby Douglass, Randall Cunningham and Percy Harvin. Mostert is the only running back in that group.

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Shanahan said part of the reason for Mostert’s success is his speed, and teams’ inability to adjust to it:

“Well, he’s faster than most people and I think sometimes it’s a little bit deceptive,” Shanahan said. “I mean, you see guys who have an angle on him and all of a sudden, they just don’t. I don’t know if they don’t know that he’s that fast, because our other guys are fast too. I’m not exactly sure what it is, but when you do it week in and week out, I mean, it’s time for people to notice. I mean, he’s been pretty damn good and he needs some more opportunities because he’s making the best of it.”

Mostert didn’t enter the season with a big role on offense, but he’s played his way into one just in time for the most important stretch of the year.

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Aaron Rodgers didn’t complete a pass beyond 10 yards vs. 49ers

The 49ers locked down Aaron Rodgers on Sunday Night Football.

The 49ers’ defense was dominant Sunday night against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. San Francisco held Rodgers to 104 yards and 3.2 yards per attempt in one of the worst outings of his career.

Perhaps the stat most indicative of the 49ers’ defensive dismantling of the Hall of Fame quarterback was provided by ESPN’s Next Gen Stats.

Rodgers didn’t complete a pass that traveled at least 10 yards in the air:

There were a couple reasons for this.

First, San Francisco’s coverage down the field was terrific. Jimmie Ward knocked two downfield throws away, including a deep shot to Jimmy Graham that was in the tight end’s hands before the safety wrestled it away.

The pass rush was another reason for the lack of throws down the field. Rodgers didn’t have time to sit back and find receivers beyond 10 yards. He had to get rid of the ball to avoid the onslaught of 49ers pass rushers that spent most of the game in the backfield.

Holding Rodgers to such limited production is perhaps the most impressive thing the 49ers defense has done all season, and a tribute to how good they are up front and in the secondary.

49ers sign familiar DE, place Ronald Blair on IR

The 49ers lost Ronald Blair for the season, so they turned to a familiar face at defensive end.

The 49ers were bit hard by the injury bug Monday night, but the biggest blow came when defensive end Ronald Blair suffered a torn ACL while taking down Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

Blair on Wednesday was officially placed on injured reserve, and his roster spot was filled with defensive end Damontre Moore.

Moore might sound familiar because of his terrific preseason showing with the 49ers. He had 2.0 sacks in the exhibition slate, but created a ton of pressure in a relatively large sample size.

His big preseason wasn’t enough to land a roster spot though on a deep 49ers defensive line. Losing Blair put the 49ers in a spot where they couldn’t simply add another DL. They had to match Blair’s skill set, and Moore is probably the closest they were going to find on the free agent wire.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters the team wanted Moore on the roster, but couldn’t make it work at a deep defensive end spot. He also said they were fortunate Moore was available after his strong preseason.

“Yeah, definitely with how well of a preseason he had,” Shanahan said when asked if he was surprised Moore was available. “But it’s tough in this league, especially being a veteran when you don’t have practice squad eligibility. I guess it didn’t work out for him, but with the tape he put on, yeah, we were surprised and felt lucky he was still out there.”

Moore has played in 54 games across six NFL seasons. He also spent time in the Alliance of American Football and played well in the now-defunct league. The 27-year-old has 10-career sacks, although 9.5 of them came in the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

Replacing Blair won’t be easy. He’s a very smart, productive player in the 49ers defensive line rotation. Blair had 3.0 sacks and seven tackles for loss before sustaining his season-ending knee injury.

Moore will get a chance to debut for the 49ers on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.