The San Francisco 49ers received the opening kickoff. Christian McCaffrey kicked things off by picking up 11 yards on 3rd & 10. Ricky Pearsall followed that up with a six-yard reception on 3rd & 3. McCaffrey would rush for another first down on third down, making it three in a row for the offense.
The 49ers picked up five first downs on their way to the red zone. The blocking was excellent, the running game was diverse, and it looked as though the offense was clicking on all cylinders.
It looked as though the offense may stall, but Brock Purdy found Jauan Jennings for a 12-yard touchdown pass on 2nd & 10, capping off a 15-play, 72-yard drive that took nearly nine minutes. McCaffrey picked up 40 yards from scrimmage on the drive. Purdy was 6-for-7. The only thing to complain about was the lack of George Kittle.
The defense began in “big Nickel” with Jason Pinnock on the field. Bryce Huff had an early impact, drawing a holding penalty after pressuring Bryce Young. Dave Canales is generally aggressive, but punted the ball back to San Francisco on 4th & 3.
Ben Bartch would get the second series at left guard. He would not get much playing time, as Brock Purdy threw a knuckleball to Jauan Jennings. Jaycee Horn undercut the route, and the Panthers had the ball in the low red zone.
For whatever reason, Carolina elected to throw the ball on 1st & goal from the one-yard line. On a play-action pass, Young floated a pass to the back of the end zone, but it landed in the hands of Ji’Ayir Brown. The momentum shifted back to the Niners, who remained in the lead.
The 49ers dominated time of possession in the first quarter, holding the ball for over 10 minutes and earning seven first downs, but they were fortunate to escape with the lead.
Bartch remained at left guard to begin the third drive. Kittle joined the fun with an 11-yard reception. The 49ers went for it on 3rd & 1, and Purdy snuck it for a first down. Brock rushed for a first down on his next dropback. That element had been missing from the offense.
On 3rd and 6, Purdy underthrew Ricky Pearsall, and his pass was intercepted in the end zone: another scoring opportunity wasted, and another poor decision by Purdy.
Rookie Tet McMillian dropped a wide-open pass on 3rd & 2, bailing the defense out. Christian McCaffrey fumbled on the ensuing drive. Carolina had multiple opportunities, but didn’t pounce on the ball. Unfortunately for the 49ers, Purdy was in the giving mood.
Purdy threw another interception. This was one of the varieties when he didn’t see the defender. It was an awful look, but it wasn’t necessarily new.
Carolina had a 3rd & goal situation, but Malik Mustapha came flying up for a tackle for loss, and a much-needed stop. The Panthers kicked a field goal to make it 7-3. So, three points off three turnovers. You couldn’t ask for a better result than that.
Skyy Moore answered with a 43-yard kickoff return. Matt Gay’s field goal was good to make it 10-3, but Purdy got away with a pair of throws that could have easily been intercepted. One sailed high, while the other was a miscommunication.
The defense gave up nothing in the two-minute drill, which felt like it would come in handy, especially knowing Carolina would get the ball to begin the second half.
The defense put Carolina in a long-yardage situation, thanks to Bryce Huff forcing another holding call. Renardo Green broke up a third-down pass, and the Panthers punted once more.
George Kittle had a first-down reception on third down. The Panthers, who lost another linebacker in the third quarter, had no answer for 85. The game plan shifted from downfield throws to screens, outs, and play-action misdirection. Shanahan did not seem like the kind of play-caller who was going to let his quarterback lose him this game.
Despite only scoring 10 points, the 49ers had their third drive of 10+ plays. The scoreboard didn’t reflect the offense moving the ball. But you can’t turn it over three times. Jennings was wide open on 3rd & 6, and the drive stayed alive. Life was a little easier without Jaycee Horn, who was ruled out with a concussion after being seen vomiting on the sideline.
On 2nd & 3, after picking up seven yards, McCaffrey took a toss to the left and went untouched into the end zone to give San Francisco a commanding 17-3 lead.
That two poession lead wouldn’t last long. Jason Pinnock and Curtis Robinson missed tackles on the ensuing drive, before Bryce Young found his rookie Tet McMillan open in the end zone. It looked like Renardo Green was expecting safety help, but nobody was there.
After a personal foul, the Panthers elected to go for two. Alfred Collins tipped Young’s pass. That incompletion kept the score 17-9.
Jennings, Kittle, and McCaffrey did the heavy lifting to get the offense inside the red zone. But a Luke Ferrell missed block, and a loss of 6 yards on successive plays left 3rd & 18. Any other day, Shanahan might be aggressive. Not today. Matt Gay’s 29-yard field goal gave the 49ers a 20-9 lead.
Upton Stout had an opportunity for an interception on the first play of the drive, but could not come up with the catch. With a second opportunity, Carolina picked up a first down on the next play. Then, two plays later, another first down.
The 49ers weren’t short on chances. Huff had a free run at Young, but Young avoided him. However, he did not avoid another mistake. Ji’Ayir Brown came up with his second interception of the game on the following throw.
A delay of game penalty put the offense behind the sticks, and they punted quickly. It was an egregious penalty, almost as bad as the turnovers. The offense could have gotten a first down and potentially run the clock out.
Curtis Robinson missed his third tackle on the drive. Another first down got Carolina into 49ers territory. Xavier Leggette ran out of bounds, which meant there wouldn’t be another first down. Clelin Ferrell, after being inactive last week, picked up a sack.
Carolina attempted a 57-yard field goal, but the kick barely reached the end zone. That would do it. It wasn’t pretty. It rarely is. But a win is a win, and the 49ers are one step closer to a playoff berth.
The credit goes to the defense. Carolina only had 230 yards, went 1-for-7 on third down, and didn’t have a touchdown on either red zone trip. We may not get another opportunity to say it this year, but the defense won the 49ers a game.
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