49ers news: 3 winners, 5 losers, and one IDK from the Rams loss

Sunday’s game was one to forget for the San Francisco 49ers as they blew multiple 14-point leads against the Los Angeles Rams. In a divisional game, those losses cannot happen. That’s especially true when the other team is just as banged up, if not worse, on the injury front.

Despite not having George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, or Deebo Samuel, it never felt like the Niners would struggle to score. They started off hot with a quick 14 points but didn’t put the Rams away when they had the chance, and Matthew Stafford diced up the Niners passing defense on the way to an upset victory.

As was the case when the 49ers lost to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2, a loss should not erase several standout performances. Unfortunately for the Niners, their lack of depth and inexperience at defensive coordinator is biting them in the rear to begin the season.

Winners

Javon Hargrave

On the internet, you see one clip, cherry-pick, and act as if that’s how said player played the entire game. That’s been the case with Hargrave during the previous 24 hours — and it makes no sense.

For starters, Hargrave was in obvious pain playing through his injury — what has been identified as a partially torn triceps that will sideline him for the season. Up until that point — which was when there were about nine minutes left in the fourth quarter — Hargrave looked like the player who gave the Niners hell in the NFC Championship game when he was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles a couple of seasons ago.

Hargrave recorded six pressures and a sack on 20 pass rushes, and that number is inflated as four or five of those came when he was playing with one arm. Going by percentage, only Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns got after the quarterback at a higher clip in Week 3 than Hargrave.

He also had two run stops, including one “hustle” stop, where Hargrave chased the Rams running back down the line of scrimmage, covering more than 20 yards. Hargrave’s sack on Stafford came at the perfect time. I don’t understand watching what we did on Sunday and coming away thinking, “Wow, this guy gives shotty effort.”

Kyle Shanahan knows how big of a loss Hargrave will be this season: “It is a big one, and I thought he had his best game yesterday. I thought he was a huge factor; he really affected the quarterback in that game. It’s a big loss. He is one of our better players, and he was definitely going in the right direction and was going to have a big year.”

Jauan Jennings

Jennings’s 175 yards receiving was the most in a single game for any wideout through three games this year. He also generated 15.5 EPA, which was four points higher than the next pass catcher. So, Jennings added more than two touchdowns to the scoreboard in Week 3.

It’s evident that his quarterback trusts him. You know it’s your day when the QB underthrows you down the field, and you “moss” the defensive back anyway for an explosive play.

A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about Jennings being the WR2 on this team as a potential overreaction. That projection looks modest after a 12-target, 11-reception performance that included seven first downs.

Jennings’s average air yards per target was over 13 yards, which is fantastic, considering the Niners lack in the explosive passing game. He looked more than comfortable in contested situations and caught five of those six against the Rams.

The one critique for Jennings would be: Be careful running into the tunnel with cleats on because nothing good has ever come from that for athletes.

Brock Purdy

To the naked eye, there were two plays that Purdy would like to have back, and they both took place late in the game with a chance to ice it. One happened on a busted coverage play that I’m sure you’ve seen by now:

Shanahan said that Brandon Aiyuk was number two in the progression, and by the time Purdy’s eyes got to Aiyuk, he wasn’t in the right spot. We’ll talk more about this play, and I’ll mention the other one more today.

The second throw came on third and 10 when Brock was sacked. The route combination got the receiver open, Purdy didn’t pull the trigger, and the Niners didn’t get points out of the drive. In my opinion, that was more egregious than the clip above.

Brock also played his best game of the season by far. All of these things can be true.

I thought there were some significant lapses in pass protection that the quarterback not only hid by avoiding the sack but also converted those throws into first downs.

Fifteen of Purdy’s 22 completions went for first downs, including three scores. He consistently gives his wideouts a chance to make plays down the field, which should not be taken for granted. Completing 73 percent of your passes when you had four drops and an average depth of target of 11.3 is about as good as you can ask for.

The Rams blitzed Purdy on eight dropbacks. He went 5-for-7 for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Purdy was under pressure on 11 of his attempts. He went 9-for-11 for 98 yards and had those two touchdowns.

Brock finished the week with the second-highest passer rating, air yards per attempt, and third-highest EPA per dropback, all while being pressured at the second-highest rate. Purdy’s competitive spirit is what you need to excel in this league.

Unfortunately, his best throw of the day, the throw that would have changed the mood in 49ers land, was not caught.

Losers

Ronnie Bell

As the game unfolded, I wondered, “Does Jacob Cowing not know the plays?” “Does Shanahan value run blocking in his wideouts that much?” “Can Chris Conley not do all these things and then some?”

Shanahan was asked about Cowing, and it doesn’t sound like he’s close to playing: “He’s still working to get out there. He is trying to get more comfortable with the offense and just earn a role with it, gets closer and closer each week. Still got a bit to go, though.”

Bell was awful.

He should be credited for three drops. Bell had one going over the middle that looked like he was terrified to get hit. On a curl route, the ball hit him in the hands twice, and he didn’t catch it. Then, of course, the 31-yarder down the field that Purdy couldn’t have handed Bell any better that was dropped.

Even on the one reception, Bell lost three yards after he caught it.

Ricky Pearsall and Deebo Samuel should return sooner than later. But you also invested in Cowing, and Conley proved himself in the playoffs. It’s time to pull the plug on the Bell experiment.

Colton McKivitz

Purdy had to pull a Houdini a handful of times. McKivitz leads the league in pressures combined with penalties through three weeks:

After Shanahan said that Purdy was day-to-day with back soreness, your first reaction is, “Well yeah, he’s getting smoked in the pocket.”

The issue with replacing McKivitz is that Jaylon Moore spends all camp practicing on the left side, and Spencer Burford is now the swing guard. I’m not sure there are options, but the play for McKivitz has been consistently poor, and it’s a Christmas miracle that Purdy is still upright.

The 49ers passing game is at its best when they empty the backfield and give Brock five options to throw it to. Unfortunately, it’s leading to quarterback hits.

McKivitz has allowed the fifth-most quarterback hits through three weeks among all tackles. His blown-bock percentage is among the worst in the league at any position. It’s hard to believe that the Niners cannot field a player more consistent in pass protection than McKivitz.

Jake Moody

The bar is unfairly high when you’re selected as a kicker in the third round. Moody was taken to nail 55-yard kicks. He didn’t when the game was on the line, and it cost the 49ers the game. Sure, about 17 other plays decided the outcome, but the 49ers did just enough to give their kicker a chance, and he missed. That can’t happen.

The miss looks worse when you consider how often teams are kicking and making 50-yarders this season. It’s the second time in Moody’s early career that he had the opportunity to win the game for his team.

If we look back and a missed kick is the reason the 49ers have a road game in the playoffs….

The outside cornerbacks

Sean McVay saw what I saw, and likely everybody watching in the stadium or on TV saw: Charvarius Ward was a shell of himself.

Mooney was close to giving up a touchdown on a play where he fell, but Stafford overthrew the deep pass. On the afternoon, McVay made Ward run. That’s his strength when healthy, but that was not the case against the Rams.

Mooney allowed three receptions, but they were for 71 yards. Plus, the incomplete throw would’ve added 50+ to those numbers. It was uncharacteristic for the All-Pro, as his 104.2 passer rating allowed is a clear outlier. Ward also had to come off the field, putting rookie Renardo Green in a situation that allowed points.

Perhaps we can blame the coaching staff for playing a player who was nowhere near 100 percent. But if you’re on the field, we have to judge as such.

Isaac Yiadom allowed 2.3 yards per separation when targeted, compared to Mooney’s 2.1. Ward allowed +1.8 coverage EPA, while Yiadom’s was +4.5. All five of Yiadom’s targets were completed for 56 yards. I think he’s a competitive player who will prove his worth in the long run, but it’s been a funky two weeks for the veteran as he looks uncomfortable in his new surroundings.

Leonard Floyd

The 49ers are near the bottom in blitz rate, which means the pressure must be generated by the front four. Hargrave held up his end of the bargain. Floyd did not.

Maliek Collins had four pressures and a sack. Hargrave had six, Nick Bosa four, and Floyd had as many as you and I. Mind you, this is an offensive line with multiple starters out.

The energy and effort we saw from Floyd in Week 1 seems like a distant memory. From a percentage standpoint, Floyd finished 58th in win percentage among 76 edge rushers to play at least 20 percent of the snaps this week. The Niners look old, slow, and ineffective. Nick Sorensen’s hand might be forced to blitz more than he’s comfortable with.

Teams are sending multiple blockers toward Bosa, forcing somebody else to win, and it’s not happening. Despite the extra attention he received, Bosa’s win percentage was 33rd. Until Floyd or somebody else gets going, the plan for opposing offenses won’t change.

IDK

Nick Sorensen

I wouldn’t be too quick to bury Sorensen. He faced Aaron Rodgers, Kevin O’Connell, and Sean McVay to start the season. Those latter two are easily top five offensive minds in the sport.

Sorensen came into the game with a plan to answer the Rams’ 12 personnel usage: Los Angeles ran two tight end sets on 44.6 percent (the highest since Week 16 of 2022, per NFL Pro) of its snaps after running exclusive three wide receiver sets the first two weeks of the season.

It was “operation get De’Vondre Campbell off the field.” Sorensen brought in an extra defensive tackle and subbed Campbell off. In the second quarter, Dee Winters subbed in for Campbell. But, after a stop, Winters hurt himself on the fake punt and did not return.

Yiadom was lined up in the slot or condensed splits multiple times against Minnesota in Week 2. He was not put into those situations once in Week 3. There were a few “dime” looks with six defensive backs and a couple of “big nickel” looks with Talanoa Hufanga at linebacker. Sorensen is experimenting with his personnel and should be lauded for it.

Campbell in coverage is inexcusable. It goes against this team’s tendencies, but the blitz rate must increase. That’s where one of the sacks came from, and Campbell was untouched. Stafford’s yards per attempt was three times lower under pressure.

Sorensen has his work cut out for him after losing Hargrave. There were seven plays of at least 15 yards allowed by the defense against the Rams. One of Steve Wilks’s calling cards was limiting explosive plays.

The coach can’t control 80 yards worth of pass interference calls, but Stafford, for as great as he is, should not be able to move the ball as easily as he did in the second half—too many soft zones and insufficient pressure.

Next week is an ideal “get right” spot for the 49ers, although they’ve struggled to stop the run, and that’s all their opponent will do. The defense will buckle down and bounce back if there are any playoff aspirations.