We hand out three game balls to the San Francisco 49ers — and one to an ex-Niner — after the team’s first win of the season, a 30-27 victory over the visiting Detroit Lions.
On Monday’s Locked On 49ers Podcast, host Brian Peacock provided a rundown of the game — including game notes and key takeaways — and handed out three game balls from the San Francisco 49ers’ victory over the Detroit Lions in Week 2 of the 2018 NFL regular season.
Before highlighting three standouts from Sunday’s game, Brian’s first game ball went to former 49ers running back — and fan favorite — Frank Gore, who passed RB Curtis Martin and is now the fourth all-time leading rusher in NFL history, with 14,112 rushing yards.
And now, for the game balls from Sunday’s 49ers Lions matchup:
49ers CB Richard Sherman
Has cornerback Richard Sherman lost a step? The rest of the NFL certainly doesn’t think so. Opposing quarterbacks — beginning with Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew luck during the preseason — simply won’t throw the ball Sherman’s way, or even look in his direction. The trend continued on Sunday, as Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford targeted fellow San Francisco cornerbacks Ahkello Witherspoon and K’Waun Williams often, and mostly ignored the Detroit wide receiver lined up across from the 49ers’ top corner:
49ers RB Matt Breida
Running back Matt Breida lit up the stat sheet on Sunday, logging 128 yards on 11 carries, and an additional 21 yards on three catches through the air. Breida — who continues to split carries with fellow running back Alfred Morris — now leads the NFL with 184 rushing yards, 8.4 yards per rush and three rushes of over 20 yards.
The play of the game on Sunday was Breida’s 66-yard touchdown scamper in the closing seconds of the third quarter, which broke the game open, giving the 49ers a 27-13 lead:
49ers WR Pierre Garcon
While Breida received credit for the rushing yardage and the touchdown, he had wide receiver Pierre Garcon to thank for the latter part of the run. After Breida broke into the open field, Garcon escorted his running back the rest of the way into the end zone for the score. In addition to his excellent effort and blocking ability, Garcon showed up in the box score as well, snatching all four of his targets for a team-high 57 receiving yards:
Here’s the “All-22” film of the play. While Garcon did the dirty work, fellow wideout Dante Pettis — who saw just two passes thrown his way on Sunday — was downfield as well, searching for a defender to block. Regardless of who sees targets in a specific game, the 49ers’ wide receiving corps continues to demonstrate a ton of effort — and not a lot of “diva” attitude — this season:
“All-22” video of @49ers‘ RB @MattBreida‘s 66-yard TD run — escort provided by WR @PierreGarcon, as well as WR @DantePettis — from the #49ers‘ Week 2 victory over the #Lions. #DETvsSF #49wz #GoNiners pic.twitter.com/xFKwxkIAZ3
— Chris Wilson (@cgawilson) September 18, 2018
Listen to Locked On 49ers host Brian Peacock’s review of the San Francisco 49ers’ Week 2 victory over the Detroit Lions — including game notes and key takeaways — on Monday’s Rapid React podcast:
About the Author: Chris Wilson
