The 49ers, as has been the case all season, can’t seem to get out of their own way
Finding potential “winners” in a game where you were outscored by 25 points, outgained by 133 yards, and nearly doubled in yards per pass while losing the turnover battle 3-0 was as difficult as the San Francisco 49ers stopping the Buffalo Bills from running the ball on Sunday night.
One team looked 5-7, while the other looked 10-2. Sometimes, you’re outclassed. That’s what watching the Niners felt like in Week 13.
Winners
The running backs
Christian McCaffrey was well on his way to surpassing 100 yards on the ground. He finished with 53 yards on seven carries. Jordan Mason nearly made it to 100 himself, needing only 13 carries to reach 78 yards. Isaac Guerendo had a 15-yard touchdown run.
The trio combined for seven rushes of at least 10 yards, +42 in rushing yards over expected, in a game that made you remember how dominant the Niners can be on the ground.
Evan Anderson
The undrafted rookie defensive tackle continues to make a name for himself. For the second week in a row, Anderson was among the team leaders in run stops.
Anderson finished with four and had a quarterback pressure. Expectations were low coming into Sunday night with multiple starters out on both sides of the ball, but Anderson continues to show promise.
Losers
The run defense
The 49ers allowed 220 rushing yards; honestly, that number seems low. James Cook had as many yards after contact (94) as Brock Purdy had passing. Every Bills’ ball carrier had their way.
It’s not as if the 49ers were missing tackles left and right. According to PFF, the defense missed six. The problem was being in a position to make a tackle, which they were not.
Do you remember how lively the defense looked in Week 1? The energy was on another level. I’d argue that up until these past two weeks, the Niners’ effort and competitive spirit kept them alive and in games until these past two weeks. Now, that same spirit looks broken.
The offseason defensive acquisitions
The 49ers are getting the same, if not more, production from Sam Okuayinonu as they are from Yetur Gross-Matos. One of these players signed an $18 million contract in the offseason. The other has a base salary of $915,000. The latter has not missed time due to injury, either.
Leonard Floyd was supposed to be the edge rusher that finally complements Nick Bosa. Floyd was great against the Green Bay Packers a week ago. He followed that performance up with one tackle. That’s it. Floyd signed a $20 million contract this past offseason.
Defensive tackle Maliek Collins has been the one constant, but he was supposed to supplement Javon Hargrave.
Linebacker De’Vondre Campbell has been more assertive during the past month, but he resorted back to some of his old habits against Buffalo. There were series where he was back to rotating with Dee Winters, which tells you how well he was playing.
It’s also impossible to ignore the Campbell we saw from the first two months of the season when it felt like the 49ers were playing with ten players on defense.
The leading tacklers against Buffalo were all in the secondary. That tells you that the front 7 was far from effective.
New game, same mistakes
On the first offensive drive of the game, Purdy and McCaffrey weren’t on the same page on a 3rd & 7 in Buffalo territory. It was a play that the two had connected on blindfolded during McCaffrey’s tenure. Instead of a potential 1st & goal, the Niners had to settle for a field goal.
The thought was that the red zone issues would drastically improve once McCaffrey returned. They have not.
On the ensuing defensive possession, the secondary gets flagged for an illegal contact penalty on 3rd & 5. Three third-down conversions later, the Bills are in the end zone.
Jake Moody misses a field goal on the following drive.
A missed tackle results in a 1-play, 65-yard touchdown run on the next play.
Moody missed another field goal before the half for good measure.
To open the second half, Kyle Juszczyk fumbled on the one-yard line.
Finally, the defense gets a stop, but multiple dropped passes give the ball right back to Buffalo.
By the time Purdy and Deebo fumbled, the game was out of reach, but that doesn’t excuse the consistent mistakes on both sides of the ball.
Multiple injuries aren’t an excuse for holding onto the ball. Plenty of veterans are on the field, yet those are the players making the same mistakes, whether it’s a fumble or a penalty.
IDKs
Passing game
One team threw the ball to their tight end thrice for 69 yards, including a gain of 39. The other team targeted their tight end on the first passing play and would only target him one other time during the entire game.
Using George Kittle as a blocker is understandable when you are missing the left side of your offensive line. That doesn’t mean he has to become an afterthought in the passing game.
Either Ricky Pearsall isn’t as far along as Kyle Shanahan wants him to be, or it isn’t good. Because Pearsall, the first-round pick, only had one target — and he slipped on that play.
Those who pound their chest about separation stats will be quiet this week. Here’s how misleading that statistic is. Deebo averaged 5.3 yards of separation. Two of his targets were behind the line of scrimmage. The other three were within ten yards.
I don’t know the passing identity or the 49ers’ plan when they dropped back. Purdy hit Jauan Jennings on a deep out route. So the idea that he wasn’t healthy enough to push the ball down the field doesn’t check out.
Purdy wasn’t pressured any more than he usually was. In fact, it was right around the same as Josh Allen on the night. PFF credited Purdy for three turnover-worthy plays. He had one ugly interception waiting to happen had it not been for a penalty. Purdy was more accurate at the intermediate level than he was underneath 10 yards.
And he did it without having to worry about the blitz. According to Next Gen Stats, the Bills didn’t blitz or play man coverage once. Yet, the passing game was inept.
Defensive messaging
It’s becoming a bit of a theme during the postgame, where one of the defensive players calls Nick Sorensen out indirectly after seeing a formation they weren’t prepared for. That was Fred Warner a week ago. Kyle Shanahan then has to come back and say, “That’s part of the game,” or something along those lines.
Yesterday, the Bills kept running the same play over and over again. The 49ers couldn’t stop the “duo,” and Buffalo didn’t stop calling it.
Sorensen is saying the right things, but the results suggest his words are going in one ear and out the other. Going back to the effort, watching Malik Mustapha’s every play should be the epitome of each defender on the field. It’s not.
When I brought up the jumping up and down on this side of the ball from Week 1, that’s contagious on defense. We’re not seeing that anymore. Most of the players look like they’re going through the motions.
When that happens, the other team tends to do what they want, and they did on Sunday night.
About the Author: Insidethe49
