“It is taking players like Huff and Williams out of the roles to which they are best suited,” says Niners Nation
It’s the matchup we’ve all been waiting for, as the Los Angeles Rams face off against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night. The winner of this matchup will hold the early edge in the NFC West race. Oh, what fun!
Ahead of this highly anticipated affair, I spoke with Nicholas McGee from Niners Nation and asked him about how Kyle Shanahan and company have held down the fort early in the season, what the 49ers have done to replace Nick Bosa and more.
Q – The 49ers began the year with several injuries, yet managed to jump out to 3-0 before losing to Jacksonville on Sunday. How did Kyle Shanahan and company manage to hold down the fort, especially with Brock Purdy missing time?
A – There were several factors behind the 49ers’ hot start. A huge amount of credit has to go to the defense, which, much like the Rams did a couple of years ago, has found several young contributors who have made a significant difference. Robert Saleh’s influence cannot be understated, with his return appearing to revitalize a group that has played a lot faster than it did in 2024.
On offense, the fast start was another feather in the cap for Kyle Shanahan and his ability to seemingly engineer production regardless of the circumstances. His scheme is by no means quarterback proof and obviously requires a baseline level of talent to succeed, but the manner in which he played to the strengths of Mac Jones and created easy buttons with the usage of Christian McCaffrey in the passing game was very impressive. On top of that, the continued ascension of Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings as reliable and explosive weapons, combined with McCaffrey’s excellence as a receiver, ensured the passing game was able to thrive in adversity.
Q – Speaking of Purdy, he had a rough return in Week 4 after missing the previous two games, turning the ball over three times against the Jaguars in the 26-21 loss. What does he need to do to shake off the bad performance on a short week against the Rams?
A – It was no surprise on Monday that Shanahan revealed Purdy felt toe soreness after the Jaguars game. He looked like a quarterback still battling the effects of an injury. In terms of how he played the position, Purdy was high on throws on far too many occasions and was also guilty of being late to pull the trigger. The 49ers need to be absolutely sure Purdy is healthy before putting him back out there. If he plays, Purdy will need to quickly rediscover his accuracy and, more pertinently, against the Rams’ front, speed up his clock to avoid punishment that could lead to negative plays and risk further injury.
Q – SF is clearly missing Nick Bosa, who is lost for the year due to a torn ACL. In the first game without him, the 49ers failed to record a sack and a QB hit for the first time since 2015. Even though it’s impossible trying to replace an All-Pro like Bosa, who has DC Robert Saleh plugged in on the defense to try and fill the hole?
A – The main beneficiary from Bosa’s injury in terms of snaps was Sam Okuayinonu, who played 45 snaps against the Jaguars, one fewer than rookie first-round pick Mykel Williams. Bryce Huff played 38 snaps.
Okuayinonu is a fine rotational defensive lineman who, like Williams and Yetur Gross-Matos, brings useful inside out versatility. However, he is never going to be somebody who can replicate the impact of Bosa.
While it stands to reason they may eventually look to the trade market for defensive end help, in the immediate future the 49ers will need Huff to excel as a three-down end rather than just as a rotational pass rusher. Williams will be tasked with taking on a greater load as an edge pass rusher than first envisioned by the Niners, who view him more as an interior rusher on true passing downs.
That really speaks to the problem caused by the Bosa injury, in that it is taking players like Huff and Williams out of the roles to which they are best suited. They’ll need to adapt, while the 49ers will also require more pass-rushing production from Gross-Matos and from their defensive tackles if the D-Line is to avoid more games where the opposing quarterback is untroubled.
Q – Who is one unheralded player on offense that Rams faithful must know ahead of Thursday? What about on defense?
A – On offense, I’ll go with tight end Jake Tonges. He’s not George Kittle by any stretch, but he’s stepped up well in the All-Pro’s absence, proving he can be an asset as a receiver, and has two touchdown catches in four games. Tonges has built a nice rapport with both Purdy and Jones.
As for the defense, it’s difficult to ignore the upgrade Dee Winters has provided at WILL linebacker. The 2023 sixth-round pick was inexplicably stuck behind De’Vondre Campbell last year but has made up for lost time, showing lightning fast speed to the ball and intriguing upside in coverage. He’s an ascending player who may need to be used more as a blitzer as the 49ers try to engineer pass rush without Bosa.
Q – What’s one question that you have for Rams fans?
A – The Rams clearly look to be the most complete team in the NFC West and deserve to be the favorite to win the division. What’s one area of weakness that could derail their hopes of doing so?
Category: General Sports
