By now, we know who the San Francisco 49ers are. This team will go as far as its offense can take it. It won’t be easy if Ricky Pearsall misses time, but the scheme is superb, and the execution on that side of the ball has been outstanding of late.
The same cannot be said for the defense. At some point, you can only get by for so long without top-tier talent. We’ve seen some of the bottom-of-the-barrel offenses move the ball against the Niners during the past month. That did not change in Week 15 against the Tennessee Titans, who wound up scoring the second-most points they had all season.
There were some strong performances by the 49ers in Week 15, but also some underwhelming ones that can’t be ignored. Let’s review a stock report that leans positive but also outlines some concerns going forward. It’s less about who the Niners played and more about how they played.
Stock up: Trent Williams & Colton McKivitz
Williams had a week to stew on a performance against Myles Garrett that, statistically, was the worst of his season. Sports Info Solutions credited Williams with five blown blocks against the Browns. That was a season-high for Williams and the most since Week 4.
Williams looked fresh against the Titans. He moved like a 27-year-old and consistently finished blocks. What stood out more than the several pancakes was the arsenal Williams displayed. That Browns game brought out the competitor in Williams.
Kyle Shanahan wasn’t aware of the number of knockdowns Williams had, but knew how well he played: “But, I didn’t know that about Trent as far as that, but I did know he had a hell of a game. He played really well in the run and the pass game. I’ve been very excited with how Trent’s been this year.”
Williams wasn’t the only tackle to struggle in Cleveland. Colton McKivitz has quietly had a career year at right tackle, but he whiffed a few times in pass protection against the Browns and had a couple of uncharacteristic blocks in the run. McKivitz bounced back against the Titans. I only saw one “whiff.” Outside of that, McKivitz looked like the player he has been all season.
Stock down: Curtis Robinson and Jason Pinnock
Robert Saleh is in an impossible situation. This defense needs Tatum Bethune back in the worst way. If Eric Kendricks can contribute anything, Saleh can ditch these big nickel snaps with Pinnock. Yes, he had a tackle for loss. But it was unblocked. That was a scheme play. The Titans averaged 9.63 yards per play with Pinnock on the field.
On the first snap, they run Pinnock’s way, and he overruns the block, avoiding contact, creating a rushing lane for Tony Pollard, who goes untouched until he’s eight yards down the field. On that same play, Curtis Robinson misses a tackle after getting off a block late.
Robinson gave up a 17-yard pass on a play-action, where he gets lost and is guarding nobody later on that drive. On the ensuing play, the tight end pancakes Pinnock while Robinson gets tossed to the side during a 22-yard run.
Getting those two off the field will be an addition by subtraction for this defense. They were never supposed to play because of injuries, but Week 15 showed why: if they are playing against a competent offense, the Niners are in trouble.
Stock up: Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, Kendrick Bourne, and Demarcus Robinson
This group was not good against the Browns. I thought the quarterback’s performance in Week 13 was in spite of his wideouts. That was a different story in Week 15. Out of the bye, Kendrick Bourne outsnapped Demarcus Robinson by ten snaps. That was a surprise. Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall are the top two receivers, but finding an interchangeable WR3 might be a blessing in disguise.
Pearsall caught six of his seven targets. The most transferable catch came when the Niners were backed up in their end zone on 2nd & 9. It was a contested situation, and Pearsall held on over the middle for a first down. Pearsall looked like a WR1. His four yards per route run were tied for the fourth highest of the week.
Jennings was Mr. Reliable. There was one target he wanted back, but he also had two touchdowns and another first down. Jennings gives the Niners a weapon on third down and in the red zone with his size, and the offense takes full advantage of his skillset.
Bourne and Robinson were beneficiaries of the quarterback scrambling. They did a nice job of working open when the play was out of structure. Anything they provide seems like an added benefit, but four catches and 53 yards are more than enough from those two.
Stock down: Malik Mustapha, Renardo Green, Deommodore Lenoir, Ji’Ayir Brown
For the second game in a row, the 49ers’ cornerbacks fell for a route combination that you cannot mess up on in zone coverage. Against Cleveland, Renardo Green vacated his zone and left a wide receiver wide open. The Titans saw that and decided to try it against Deommodore Lenoir. It worked.
On Monday, Shanahan said, “I think the interception opportunities that we had. I think if we come down with those that we’ve got a chance to make that game look a little bit different.”
The 49ers had a 31-10 lead when the Titans had a short field after a “fumble.” Cam Ward threw a pass that seemed like it was in the air for 10 seconds. Malik Mustapha waited for the ball to come down, and Van Jefferson caught it for 43 yards. If he catches that, it’s still a 21-point game, and the fumble doesn’t matter. It’s an area where a good defense makes that play every time.
Before the fumble, when it was 31-10, Ji’Ayir Brown makes a great read, sniffs out the concept, but can’t catch the pass. You give this offense the ball in enemy territory, and the odds of them scoring a touchdown are high. Those are the plays this defense cannot afford to miss.
Aside from a couple of busted coverages, Mustapha and Renardo Green combined to miss three tackles. Technically, Lenoir didn’t miss any tackles, but he was the “force player” on the 20-yard run and ran himself out of the play. Green did the same on a 20-yard run in the first quarter.
It was a rough film session for the secondary.
Stock up: Upton Stout and Dee Winters
Stout has been picked on seemingly every game this season in coverage, while Winters has drawn the short straw when it comes to matchups. Stout was targeted four times, but only allowed 27 yards in coverage. That’s a win. He was his usual self against the run, with two stops and consistently fighting through blocks.
Winters also had a pair of stops, including a tackle for loss in the red zone. Winters was targeted five times in coverage and limited the damage to 12 yards. Those two are going to be pivotal for Robert Saleh moving forward, because the matchups are going to be as difficult as it gets during the next two weeks in coverage.
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