You don’t get to the Divisional round without making wise decisions. A look at some of the best made by each of the 8 remaining teams.
The eight teams left in the playoffs each boast smart moves by the front office to land players that have been instrumental in the successful season.
Baltimore Ravens: Mark Ingram
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
The Ravens seemed to have a running game by committee in many years recently. That came to a halt as the rushing attack was powered by free-agent acquisition Mark Ingram. The former New Orleans Saint and Heisman winner from Alabama has been dynamic in rushing for 1.018 yards in 15 games and catching passes for another 247. He scored 10 TDs on the ground and five receiving. A perfect player to have in the backfield with Lamar Jackson. You can throw in Earl Thomas via free agency and Marcus Peters in a trade with the Rams for good measure.
Kwon Alexander’s unlikely recovery happened even faster than anticipated.
Not only did Kwon Alexander make a somewhat unexpected recovery from a torn pectoral, he made that recovery in an even quicker timeline than initially anticipated.
Alexander returned to practice on Tuesday in a limited fashion after participating in the team’s bonus practices over their playoff bye week. His early return was unexpected, and head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters prior to Tuesday’s session that the linebacker’s return to action wasn’t necessarily expected at all when he went down on Oct. 31.
“I was told long ago that maybe there was an outside chance he could be ready for the Championship Game,” Shanahan said. “That’s what I’ve gone with in my mind. Kwon has been trying to get back since the day after he was hurt. He’s been trying to prove us wrong on that. He’s more ahead of schedule, a week ahead of schedule than we anticipated. He’s been cleared by the medical staff. Now it’s just about how he looks out on the field, things like that. We’ll have a padded practice tomorrow that will help give us a little bit better idea.”
Typically a torn pectoral is a season-ending injury, and the prevailing thought was that the 49ers would be without their starting Will linebacker for the duration of their season – regardless of how long it lasted.
Rumors of Alexander’s possible return surfaced when 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne posted a video on Instagram of the linebacker working out at the team facility. Bourne also told 95.7 The Game in San Francisco that Alexander was telling his teammates he planned on playing in the playoffs.
Texans star defensive end JJ Watt’s return for Houston’s wild card game only strengthened momentum behind the rumors that Alexander could make an appearance for the 49ers in the postseason. Watt suffered a torn pec four days before Alexander.
It’s worth noting San Francisco still hasn’t officially activated Alexander off Injured Reserve. Doing so will mean cutting a member of the 53-man roster to make room.
Since Alexander has been cleared, Shanahan said the decision to play him and how much to play him will be up to the coaching staff. They may insert him into the starting Will spot right away, which was previously occupied by Dre Greenlaw, and move Greenlaw back to Sam linebacker. Or they could use Alexander at Sam, or use him situationally at Will.
There are a slew of options at their disposal now that Alexander’s been cleared, and we likely won’t know how much they plan to use him until game day. The most important thing for the 49ers will be that Alexander suits up and is healthy and available. He quickly became a valuable piece of their defense, and having him for the postseason would be a huge lift to that entire unit.
The 49ers injury news couldn’t have been much better Tuesday as they gear up to face the Vikings.
The 49ers’ first practice report of the postseason was littered with good news. Every player on the 53-man roster was present and on the field for practice. That includes Dee Ford, Kwon Alexander and Jaquiski Tartt.
Ford has been out since Week 14 when he re-aggravated a hamstring injury vs. the Saints. He initially got hurt in Week 11 against the Cardinals and missed Weeks 12 and 13. His action since the middle portion of the season has been largely limited. Now the defensive end appears to be on track to play Saturday.
Alexander has been out of action since tearing his pectoral in Week 9. He participated in bonus practices during the Bye week, and was officially back in practice in a limited fashion Tuesday. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Alexander has been cleared by the medical staff and should be in line to return to the field for the playoff game.
It’s important to note Alexander will need to be officially activated off Injured Reserve to play, which would mean the release of a player from the 53-man roster. San Francisco won’t make that move until later in the week. He was not on the participation report since he’s not on the roster yet, but Shanahan indicated Alexander would be limited.
Tartt suffered a broken rib in Week 13 in Baltimore and only returned to practice ahead of the final game of the year. He was limited in all of those sessions, but took off his blue non-contact jersey Tuesday and was removed from the injury report. He should be back in the secondary alongside Jimmie Ward.
The Bye week is already paying off for the 49ers, who badly needed to get healthy after a brutal season-ending stretch that allowed little room for error amid a bevy of injuries.
Now they’re getting healthy at the right time, and should have nearly their entire starting defense intact for the biggest game of the year.
Here’s the full participation report from Tuesday’s practice:
Limited participation
DE Dee Ford (quad, hamstring)
RG Mike Person (neck)
DL Kentavius Street (knee)
The 49ers may get Kwon Alexander back for their first playoff game.
The 49ers defense will have its emotional leader for the start of their postseason run. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Kwon Alexander is on track to play in the 49ers’ divisional round game next Saturday.
Alexander’s return from a torn pectoral he suffered on Oct. 31 isn’t a huge surprise since the team opened his practice window to return from Injured Reserve last week. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters the 25-year-old may only return if the team won its divisional round game and made it to the NFC championship.
His return to practice in the 49ers’ off week was a small indicator that Alexander might return as early as the divisional round, but no information changed from the team.
Texans defensive end JJ Watt suffered the same injury four days before Alexander, and returned for Houston’s wild-card win over the Bills.
The 49ers have survived without Greenlaw in the middle of their front seven, but defensive end Nick Bosa told reporters Alexander may be the team’s MVP because of the emotional lift he gives them.
San Francsico’s defensive slide to end the year somewhat coincided with Alexander’s exit from the lineup. Rookie Dre Greenlaw did well in his stead, but having all three of Alexander, Greenlaw and Fred Warner available makes the 49ers’ linebacking corps much stronger.
There’s still no guarantee Alexander returns since a torn pec is a serious injury that typically sidelines players for an entire season. However, he’s on track to play in the divisional round, which would be a huge win for the 49ers defense in the team’s first playoff game since 2013.
The 49ers may get one of their vital players back if they win their first playoff game.
The 49ers on Thursday announced the opening of linebacker Kwon Alexander’s practice window, putting him on track to return this season if the 49ers win their divisional round matchup. Alexander went on Injured Reserve on Nov. 5 after tearing a pectoral while making a tackle Oct. 31 against the Cardinals.
His participation in Thursday’s practice is a little bit of a surprise despite the fact head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed some optimism that Alexander might play in the NFC Championship game if the 49ers make it that far.
Generally a torn pec is a season-ending injury, but Texans defensive end JJ Watt is set to return from the same injury, and he suffered his just four days prior to Alexander. Watt is due to play for the Texans in the Wild Card round against the Buffalo Bills.
Rumors of Alexander’s potential return started swirling when 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne posted a video on Instagram that showed Alexander doing workouts on a side field. Bourne then went on 95.7 The Game in San Francisco and doubled down on his claim that Alexander was vying to return for the postseason.
Alexander quickly became the heartbeat of the 49ers’ defense, and much of the messaging that came out from players after his injury was the need to find an emotional lift without their leader in the front seven. Getting him back in time for a playoff push may be a key factor in getting the 49ers’ defense back to a level that can carry them to a Super Bowl win.
In eight games, Alexander had 34 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, four pass breakups and a forced fumble. His activation off IR would mean the end of the 2019 season for the rest of the 49ers on that list. Teams can only activate two players off IR. Alexander would be the second after defensive lineman Kentavius Street was brought back in mid-December.
Over the last four weeks of the 2019 season, the 49ers’ formerly dominant defense has taken multiple hits. Can this be solved?
From Weeks 1-12 of the 2019 season, only the New England Patriots could claim to have a better pass defense than the San Francisco 49ers, and that’s only because the 2019 Patriots were (and are) playing pass defense at a historically great rate. But the 49ers, led by defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, weren’t far off. From Weeks 1-12, San Francisco allowed opposing quarterbacks to post a QBR of 72.50, and only the Patriots were better at 50.55. The 49ers allowed a Positive Play Rate (plays in which the Expected Points Added were above zero) of 37%, and only New England was better at 36%. Per Sports Info Solutions, the 49ers’ defense saved 188.5 points below the average, and opposing offenses had minus -140.3 EPA against them. Again, only the Patriots were better in either category.
No defense allowed fewer completions (198) or passing yards (1,854), and though there was a vulnerability in touchdowns allowed (11), matching the interception total with 11 seemed to make that problem go away. The 49ers were 10-1 after 12 weeks, their only loss in overtime to Seattle, and the defense was the biggest part of that success equation.
Then, regression happened in a big hurry. The 49ers went 2-2 in their next four games, including a Week 15 loss to the Falcons that put everybody on alert. Losing 20-17 to the Ravens is one thing, but allowing Matt Ryan to complete 22 of 34 passes for 234 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions in a 29-22 stunner? Well, that’s not the act of a top defense. And over the last month, the 49ers’ defense has been anything but.
San Francisco has had a Positive Play Rate of 49% in that time. Their opposing QBR allowed has jumped to 102.39. They’ve saved 15.3 points above the average (the Packers have led the league in that time at 81.1), and their EPA of 24.3 is the fifth-worst in football, behind the Lions, Jaguars, Raiders, and Giants. They’ve allowed 95 completions for 987 yards, 10 touchdowns, and just one interception over that 2-2 stretch. Basically, the team that will take the field once again against the Seahawks this Sunday in hope of gaining the first overall seed in the NFL playoff picture has a defense playing like you’d expect from a team awaiting a top 10 slot in the draft.
Pass rush has certainly been a problem. From Weeks 1-12, San Francisco led the NFL with 45 total sacks, and 4.09 sacks per game. And while they were in the middle of the pack in quarterback hits (71) and hurries (109), the extent to which Nick Bosa and his buddies on the defensive line were able to demolish the intentions of enemy quarterbacks went a long way to disguising those other numbers.
Over the last four weeks, it’s been a very different story. San Francisco is tied for last in the league with the Browns and Seahawks with just three total sacks, and though they’ve kept the hits and hurries going to the point where the team’s overall pressure percentage has gone up from 29.67% to 31.06%, those pressures are not leading to breakups of big plays. Quite the opposite.
And as is the case with most Legion of Boom-style defenses, this one doesn’t blitz a lot. The 49ers have the fourth-lowest blitz percentage in the NFL at 20.3%, which was fine when they were getting home with just four defenders. But that’s not happening now, and the pressure/coverage schism is negatively affecting both sides at the worst possible time.
Injuries have also played a factor. That the 49ers’ pass defense has declined severely at the time time the team has been missing safety Jaquiski Tartt is absolutely no coincidence. Tartt suffered a broken rib in the team’s Week 13 loss to the Ravens, and the hope is he’ll be back for the Seattle game. He’s been the team’s best safety this season, allowing just 13 catches on 25 targets for 98 yards and one touchdown all season, and the efforts of Jimmie Ward and Marcell Harris have not matched up.
In the last four weeks of the 2019 season, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has struggled to keep up with injuries, and opponents keying on vulnerable tendencies. (Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports)
Saleh was also without Richard Sherman after the veteran cornerback suffered a hamstring strain against the Saints in Week 14, missed the Falcons game, and returned in Week 16 against the Rams. Sherman has been one of the five best cornerbacks in the NFL this season, clamping down on enemy receivers, so the absence of these two great players would go a long way to explaining the current malaise. Not to mention the losses of edge-rusher Dee Ford, who’s been out with a hamstring issue since Week 14, and linebacker Kwon Alexander, who was lost for the regular season to a torn pectoral in early November.
The result of all this? Plays like this 10-yard touchdown pass from Jared Goff to receiver Brandin Cooks in San Francisco’s 34-31 win over the Rams last Saturday. Cooks gets free to the left uncontested, linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw bite on Goff’s boot-action, and three defenders follow Robert Woods on his crossing route. Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon gets close near the end of the play, but not close enough. When this defense isn’t reading correctly, there isn’t really a lockdown scheme, or a current group of healthy players, in line to make up for it.
Warner’s 46-yard interception return for a touchdown near the end of the first half was one example of how this defense works as it’s supposed to. The four-man line compresses the pocket, forcing Goff to make an off-platform throw. Warner reads the quick pass to running back Malcolm Brown all the way, and that’s that.
There is another vulnerability the 49ers defense has, and opposing offensive coordinators are starting to go after them heavily to attack it.
See what former Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Kwon Alexander had to say about his former teammates.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers easily have the best receiving duo in the league in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
In last week’s win over the Atlanta Falcons, both receivers surpassed the 1,000-yard mark on the season. Evans (1,043 yards) now has six-straight 1,000-yard seasons to begin his career, tied with Hall of Famer Randy Moss for the most in NFL history.
For Godwin (1,071 yards), the third-year star out of Penn State, it was his first time eclipsing the mark. But, given how well he’s played this season and his age (23), it probably won’t be his last.
The duo has given Bucs fans something to cheer about this season, and it seems as though one former Buccaneers player is among those fans.
See what San Francisco 49ers linebacker Kwon Alexander had to say on this Instagram post from Evans a few days ago.
Alexander was drafted by Tampa Bay in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft out of LSU, but signed with the San Francisco 49ers this past offseason. Alexander tore his pectoral muscle in the Niners’ Week 9 win over the Arizona Cardinals and has been ruled out for the rest of the year.
Which means he has plenty of time to catch some Bucs games!
