Tag: 49ers vs rams

49ers cruise to easy TD without stars vs Rams

Brock Purdy laced a 13-yard pass to a wide open Jauan Jennings to get the 49ers on the board early against the Rams.

Without Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle in Week 3 on Sunday, the pressure fell on the shoulders of Brock Purdy. To open the game, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback delivered.

With a strong running game from Jordan Mason, the 49ers cruised down the field for the first score of the game. Brock Purdy threw. strike over the middle of the field for a wide-open touchdown pass from 13 yards out. Behind the Purdy to Jennings connection, the 49ers grabbed an early 7-0 lead in Los Angeles.

Via @49ers on Twitter:

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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Colton McKivitz arrives to SoFi stadium in must-see shirt for 49ers vs. Rams

The 49ers offensive tackle arrived to SoFi stadium in style.

Colton McKivitz might win a best-dressed award for his Week 3 pregame fit against the Los Angeles Rams. On arrival at SoFi stadium, the San Francisco 49ers starting right tackle was caught representing quarterback Brock Purdy with a must-see T-shirt.

On McKivitz’s shirt, there’s a picture of Purdy posing as a model.

Via @49ers on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/49ers/status/1837908242992865488

McKivitz will now be in charge of slowing down the Rams pass rush and keeping Purdy clean on Sunday. McKivitz and the 49ers’ offensive line are coming off a Week 2 loss where they allowed six sacks to the Minnesota Vikings. McKivitz will likely line up against Rams’ first-round pick Jared Verse.

The 49ers are scheduled to meet the Rams on Sunday in Los Angeles at 1:25 p.m. PT.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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Explosive plays evading 49ers in 2024, making life harder on offense

One big way the 49ers are missing Christian McCaffrey…

There’s one very distinct problem facing the San Francisco 49ers’ offense so far in 2024.

Thanks in part to an injury to running back Christian McCaffrey, the 49ers are struggling to create explosive plays the way they did last season. As a result, San Francisco has been forced to churn out longer scoring drives in 2024.

Last season through two weeks the 49ers generated 15 explosive plays (20-plus yard passes and 10-plus yard runs). That’s the same number they’ve generated this season.

However, nine of their 15 explosives last season came on the ground with two of them going for 50-plus yards. This season just six of their 15 explosives have come on the ground with none of the runs eclipsing 24 yards.

Three of the 49ers’ explosive plays went for touchdowns last season, all of them runs. McCaffrey ripped off a 65 yarder in Week 1 and a 14-yard touchdown dash in Week 2. Deebo Samuel had an 11-yard touchdown in Week 2.

This season only one of the 49ers’ explosives has gone for a touchdown – Jordan Mason’s 10-yard run against the Vikings.

The 49ers in 2024 have six explosive runs that have accounted for a total of 91 yards. That’s an average of 15.2 per explosive carry. That average pales in comparison to what they did last season. In Week 1 alone they had 121 rushing yards on five explosive rushes. In Week 2 they had four such runs for 93 yards. In total they averaged 23.8 yards per run on nine explosive carries.

One of the results of the lack of explosives is an uptick in plays needed to score touchdowns.

In 2023 the 49ers had six touchdown drives in their first two games. One of them was a two-play drive, three were seven-play jaunts, one was nine plays, another was 11.

Without McCaffrey their TD drives dipped to just four through two weeks. One was a five-play drive against the Vikings. It’s not a coincidence that series featured their two longest plays of the game – a 28-yard pass to Samuel and a 22-yard run by Mason.

San Francisco’s other three TD drives this season have been 11 plays, 12 plays and 12 plays.

This is something they’ll need to figure out quick. Sustaining long drives is something the 49ers are good at, but it’s neither efficient nor conducive to racking up points.

Samuel and George Kittle’s absences in Week 3 won’t make life easier for the 49ers. They’re responsible for one-third of the team’s explosives in 2024.

Perhaps we see more of rookie running back Isaac Guerendo in hopes his speed leads to some home run plays. Rookie wide receiver Jacob Cowing is also electric with the ball in his hands and may need touches to provide an offensive spark.

There’s more than one problem for San Francisco to iron out this season, but generating explosive plays has to be at the top of the list. Without those it’ll be an uphill climb on offense all year.

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49ers head coach confident team can replace All-Pro TE vs. Rams

George Kittle is doubtful vs. the Rams, which opens the door for a backup TE to carve out a bigger role.

One of the slew of injury problems facing the 49ers in Week 3 wasn’t one they anticipated having entering the week.

Tight end George Kittle got through Week 2 without issue, and was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice leading up to a Week 3 showdown with the Los Angeles Rams.

Then he started experiencing hamstring soreness after Wednesday’s session, leading him to miss Thursday and Friday before receiving a ‘doubtful’ designation for Sunday’s contest.

While losing an All-Pro TE isn’t optimal, head coach Kyle Shanahan in a press conference Friday expressed confidence in Kittle’s backup, Eric Saubert.

“I thought he’s done a hell of a job,” Shanahan said. “He’s stepped in well. Kittle was cramping most of the game, so he had to do a lot throughout the Minnesota game. He’s been real consistent since he’s been here. If he’s got to do it all, he’s up for the challenge. He’s shown he can help us in the passing and the run game.”

Saubert played 26 snaps in Minnesota – seven more than he played in the season opener against the New York Jets. That was also the most snaps he’s played in a game since Week 15 of the 2022 season when he was with the Denver Broncos.

Pro Football Focus gave Saubert a 73.2 overall grade for his game in Minnesota, which included two receptions for 26 yards. That was his most productive statistical game since Week 17 of the 2022 campaign.

Ideally the 49ers won’t need to navigate life without Kittle for long. This is a good opportunity for Saubert to step in and potentially carve out a larger role once Kittle is back. If he can produce as a run blocker and prove to be a viable pass-catching threat, we may see San Francisco utilize him more with Kittle once the All-Pro TE returns.

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Former 49ers QB can’t help Rams in Week 3 matchup

After spending six seasons in red and gold, the former 49ers quarterback will be on the opposing sideline on Sunday in Los Angeles.

On Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers will run into a familiar face on the opposing sideline in Los Angeles.

After spending six seasons with the 49ers and one with the Las Vegas Raiders, Jimmy Garoppolo is now a member of the Los Angeles Rams. Garoppolo serves as the backup to Matt Stafford in Sean McVay’s offense.

Prior to Sunday’s Week 3 contest between the 49ers and Rams, Rams offensive coordinator and former 49ers assistant coach Mike LaFleur spoke about the benefits of having Garoppolo in a matchup against the Niners.

Despite LaFleur’s outlook, Kyle Shanahan doesn’t seem too bothered by Garoppolo’s presence on the Rams’ sideline. On Friday, Shanahan told reporters he thinks the situation is “overblown.”

I think it’s way overblown. Little bit more from Mike LaFleur. That started last year though. But, no, not that much.

Via @NBCS49ers on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/NBCS49ers/status/1837251416399958523

Over six seasons with the 49ers, Garoppolo threw for 13,499 yards, 82 touchdowns and 42 interceptions. Garoppolo posted a 38-17 regular-season record with the 49ers. In 2020, Garoppolo helped lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

After his time ended in San Francisco, Garoppolo signed with the Raiders. Garoppolo struggled in Las Vegas and was eventually released after starting six games.

Garoppolo joined McVay and Stafford in Los Angeles during the 2024 offseason.

The 49ers are set to meet the Rams at 1:25 p.m. PT on Sunday.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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49ers Week 3 injury report: 1 All-Pro out, 1 doubtful, 2 more questionable

The #49ers Week 3 injury report is out. Official updates on George Kittle, Nick Bosa and Charvarius Ward:

The San Francisco 49ers released their official Week 3 injury report following Friday’s practice and provided confirmation on the statuses of some of their ailing stars.

Here’s what the injury report looks like per head coach Kyle Shanahan:

Out

WR Deebo Samuel (calf)

Samuel was ruled out for Week 3 on Monday when Shanahan told reporters he’ll miss a couple weeks with a calf strain.

Doubtful

TE George Kittle (hamstring)

This is a brutal blow for the 49ers’ offense. Kittle was in line for a ton of targets due to Samuel and McCaffrey’s absences. The small silver lining is that the team hasn’t officially ruled him out, which means he could be on track to suit up in Week 4 after his hamstring injury cropped up in the middle of the week.

Questionable

DE Nick Bosa (rib)
CB Charvarius Ward (knee, hamstring)

Bosa and Ward were both surprise additions to the practice participation report on Thursday. Ward was out of Thursday’s session, but returned Friday. Defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen said the team held Ward out for precautionary reasons after he experienced soreness. Bosa was limited in Thursday’s session after a full practice on Wednesday. The 49ers will likely have an adequate replacement for Ward, it’s less likely they’ll have the depth to withstand a game without Bosa in their already struggling pass rush.

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49ers practice participation report crowded after good start to Week 3

Ummm … uh oh!

The San Francisco 49ers started off Week 3 on the right foot.

After absences and limited participations littered their first six practice participation reports, Wednesday’s report was relatively empty. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel was a non-participant as expected. Every other player was a full go to kick off Week 3’s practices.

With Thursday came disaster.

Samuel remained out, as expected. He’s dealing with a calf strain that will sideline him for a couple weeks. Joining him among non-participants were All-Pro tight end George Kittle and All-Pro cornerback Charvarius Ward.

All-Pro defensive end Nick Bosa was also a surprise on the participation report. He was limited by a rib injury.

Here’s the full report:

Did not participate

WR Deebo Samuel (calf)
TE George Kittle (hamstring)
CB Charvarius Ward (knee, hamstring)

Neither Kittle nor Ward were on Wednesday’s report. There’s no info on when they got hurt or the severity of their ailments. Head coach Kyle Shanahan will speak with reporters Friday. The signs aren’t great for their availability Sunday, but their statuses won’t be known until Friday’s injury report.

Limited participation

DE Nick Bosa (ribs)

This isn’t great! It’s unclear when Bosa got hurt or what the nature of the ailment is. We’ll keep a close eye on his status in Friday’s session.

Full participation

SS Talanoa Hufanga (knee)
LB Dee Winters (ankle)

Hufanga got through his first full practice without any setbacks and was a full participant again Thursday. He remains on track to make his season debut in Week 3.

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6 takeaways from 49ers loss to Rams in regular season finale

It didn’t affect the 49ers in the standings, but there were a couple things to take away from their loss to the Rams:

The 49ers were locked into the No. 1 seed, which meant their Week 18 game vs. the Rams had more to do with getting ready for the postseason than anything.

San Francisco wound up losing 21-20 at Levi’s Stadium.

While the game couldn’t affect the 49ers’ place in the standings, there were still a handful of things to take away from the contest. Here’s what we found:

Notes and observations from 49ers final regular season game of 2023 season

Notes and observations from the 49ers’ loss to the Rams in the regular season finale:

The 49ers’ regular season is over. It ended Sunday with a 21-20 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams.

San Francisco had its No. 1 seed locked up and sat most of its starters for most of the game. LA sat most of its starters as well, giving the game a distinctly preseason feel.

The loss marked the first one for the 49ers in the regular season vs. the Rams since the 2018 season. It also snapped a 12-game win streak vs. NFC West opponents for San Francisco.

Here are our observations from the Week 18 contest at Levi’s Stadium:

Watch: Rookie Robert Beal Jr. records first sack of career in Week 18 vs. Rams

The rookie pass rusher out of Georgia got on the board with the first sack of his career. `

After safety Tayler Hawkins got on the board with a diving interception in his NFL debut, another young member of the San Francisco 49ers made an impact in Week 18 against the Los Angeles Rams.

In the third game of his young career, rookie pass rusher Robert Beal secured the first sack of his career against Carson Wentz. Beal came around the edge for a sack on a Wentz play-action play on second and ten from the 26-yard line. With Beal’s sack, the 49ers defense forced the Rams into a third and 17 from the 33-yard line.

Via @49ers on Twitter:

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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