Facing a newly stacked L.A. Rams team, the 49ers finally show potential in blowout win
The 49ers’ world was crumbling. They lost last week on their home field to a backup quarterback, Colt McCoy, who didn’t have his top receiver, DeAndre Hopkins, in a game Kyle Shanahan’s team should have won by double digits if it was a real playoff contender. Shanahan, deservedly so, was getting more heat than any other point of his tenure because this team didn’t have the excuse of injuries for its losing record as it did in 2018 and 2020.
But there’s something about seeing the L.A. Rams and their blue helmets with gold horns that puts Shanahan’s team back in its comfort zone.
“When you win five in a row,” Jimmy Garoppolo said when asked about having a mental edge against the Rams, “yeah, maybe a little bit. I think it’s just the style that we play with.”
That comfort zone includes an ability to trust the running game, be the more physical team, get good throws and a mistake-free performance from Garoppolo, let Deebo Samuel plow through defenders and run through the secondary (on designed runs and passes), build an early lead and allow the defense to pin its ears back and rattle the quarterback. That formula has held firm during the team’s current five-game winning streak over coach Sean McVay and his Rams.
“Each game is different,” Shanahan said. “They all played out similarly though. We had a good week. Our guys seemed confident throughout the week.”
This version of the 49ers isn’t close to what it was in 2019. But Monday night’s 31-10 smackdown of L.A. at Levi’s Stadium, San Francisco’s first win there in more than a calendar year (against the same team), might have the power to change the trajectory of what had been a miserable season.
It also served as a reminder the team can beat one of the best in the NFL after coming into the game with wins over the paltry Lions, Eagles and Bears, who have a combined record of 7-20-1 — with losses to the first-place Cardinals (twice), Packers and Seahawks. It was a reminder Shanahan’s team could at least capture the identity of the 2019 team for a moment.
The 49ers improved to 4-5, sit a half-game behind the Carolina Panthers (5-5) for the final seed in the NFC playoff chase. Falling to 3-6 would have been difficult to come back from, and might have put even more pressure on Shanahan to give rookie Trey Lance a shot at quarterback — and treat 2021 like a rebuilding year after coming in with Super Bowl-or-bust expectations.
All would have been terrible for Shanahan’s standing. Because not getting to the playoffs while not developing Lance would make 2021 a wasted season.
Now, with that badly needed reminder of what the team’s identity is, the 49ers can head to Jacksonville next weekend knowing if they take care of business against against a team with the second-worst record in the NFL, they’ll have a shot to remain in the running for a playoff berth with games against Minnesota (4-5) and a rematch in Seattle (3-6) coming thereafter.
The catalyst Monday was a message Shanahan sent to the team during the week of practice: He wanted to run the ball at least 40 times, something he hadn’t done since 2019 (the previous high was 38 in Philadelphia Week 2). Shanahan has often said the magic number of carries for his team is 30, which indicates the 49ers are controlling the game and playing complementary football by helping out the defense.
San Francisco in 2019 had at least 30 runs in eight of its 13 regular season wins, and fewer than 30 in all three regular season losses. In the playoffs, the 49ers had 47 and 42 carries against the Vikings and Packers, and 23 in the Super Bowl defeat to Kansas City.
On Monday, they had 44 for 156 yards. They stuck to it despite averaging just 3.5 yards per carry with none longer than 17 yards. The first drive, resulting in George Kittle’s 8-yard touchdown, included 13 runs and Garoppolo completing all five of his passes.
“Our goal,” Shanahan said, “we said 40, which I almost regret because it’s tough to do.”
Which came on the heels of having just 11 runs in last week’s loss to Arizona, their fewest since Shanahan was hired. Shanahan after that game said it was a result of the Cardinals stacking the line of scrimmage with six defensive lineman, so he passed the ball frequently because that’s what the defense dictated.
The Rams on Monday night often had four or five players along the line of scrimmage, which allowed the 49ers to execute their signature outside zone scheme, which includes double-teaming edge players and allowing Elijah Mitchell to hit running lanes at full speed. The allowed everything else to fall into place.
“I said 40 (runs) today, because 40 entails the whole team,” Shanahan said. “The defense has to play that way, the (offense) has to play that way, special teams has to play that way, and we have to do well on third down.”
The defense opened with gifted interceptions to safety Jimmie Ward on the first two possessions, the second which resulted in a touchdown to make it 14-0. The Rams made it 14-7 with a touchdown in the second quarter, but that was as close as the game would get. The 49ers nearly doubled them up in time of possession, 39:03 to 20:57, because they ran the ball well and converted a season-high eight third downs.
The game included standout performances from Garoppolo, who had unquestionably his best performance of the season, completing 15 of 19 for 182 yards and two touchdowns. He was 7-for-9 for 123 yards on third and fourth down, where both his touchdown throws were scored.
Samuel continued his star evolution, this time on a national stage in front of a frenzied crowd. He caught all five of his targets for 97 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown coming on a fourth-and-6 that iced the game. His first touchdown was an 8-yard run in the second quarter in which he started out in the backfield, where he was seemingly used more in any game since he was drafted in 2019. He had five carries for 26 yards.
“All my life I played running back,” Samuel said.
Indeed, coming out of South Carolina, Samuel excelled with the ball in his hands in college after playing running back in his childhood. He entered the NFL with the daunting task of learning Shanahan’s offense at wideout. But at some point during his rookie campaign in 2019, Shanahan realized he could be used as a running back, where his physicality could add a multi-dimensional element to the offense.
“Deebo, you didn’t totally know,” Shanahan said. “But you got to see him run screens and how physical he was. It was how he finished screens that we liked so much. He really brought it to people when there was nowhere to go.”
Kittle was asked about his reaction the first time he saw Samuel being used as a running back in practice. “I was jealous at first,” Kittle said. “But then I realized how much running backs get hit all the time. And I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s all good. I’ll just block for you.’”
For Samuel, he has the luxury of not having to know the entire breadth of the running game. Shanahan and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel design a significant portion of their game plan early the week before installing plays on Wednesdays and Thursdays. By the time Samuel is learning the plays, they’re streamlined for the upcoming opponents against certain defensive looks.
“You kind of know what running plays you’re going to get,” Samuel said. “So it’s not too much stress on learning all the running back positions. At first, it was kind of hard, but as time goes it just gets easier and easier.”
The 49ers aren’t going to be able to run 40 times per game for the remainder of the season, even with Samuel added to the mix as more than just a downfield receiver. But Monday’s game allowed San Francisco to rediscover a winning formula that had been absent during most of this disappointing season. If the season turns, this will be the game remembered for doing it.
“This,” Kittle said, “is the team that we believe we have.”
This story was originally published November 15, 2021 at 11:00 PM with the headline "Facing a newly stacked L.A. Rams team, the 49ers finally show potential in blowout win."
