The San Francisco 49ers are the hottest team in the NFL. The have won eight consecutive games for the first time since 2019. They currently hold the third seed in the NFC playoffs and the possibility of earning the top seed still exists. To do so the 49ers would need to win out with Philadelphia losing out and Minnesota losing once.
There were some terrific topics brought up for this week’s mailbag including an update on Elijah Mitchell and possible weaknesses in the 49ers defense and how opponents may go after Brock Purdy in the playoffs.
Mewesley, @Mewesley28 – “Is there a team the 49ers can’t beat?”
The short answer to this is no.
San Francisco has arguably the best and deepest roster in the league. That depth goes past the 53-man active roster to the practice squad. Their ability to bring elevate veterans cannot go unnoticed.
Against Washington a block from receive Willie Sneed helped to spring Ray-Ray McCloud for a 71-yard touchdown, the 49ers longest rush of the season.
Looking ahead there isn’t a quarterback in the NFC that puts fear in the 49ers. Dak Prescott has been solid this season and Jalen Hurts was an MVP candidate before getting hurt. The 49ers defense would have its hands full for sure with both.
The other two quarterbacks who get your attention are Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes.
We have already seen what Mahomes can do against this defense, albeit with several players coming off injuries. Allen has struggled at times with turnovers, but his running and passing puts a tremendous amount of stress on opposing defenses.
Good news for San Francisco though, they would not see either of the last two until the Super Bowl.
Frank Guzman, @fguz78 – “How do you see defenses planning against Brock Purdy in the playoffs and how can Shanahan overcome those defensive strategies?”
I think you began to answer your own question.
Planning against Brock Purdy is difficult. Through the last four weeks he has shown the ability to hit receivers at all levels of the field. In addition, he has been deadly off play action which makes focusing on stopping the run more difficult.
The 49ers just need Purdy to continue to play within himself and not make the game too big. If he can do that and continue to not turn the ball over the 49ers are in good shape moving forward at the quarterback position.
Phranchyze, @Phranchyze – “Do you think we can see Ray-Ray McCloud’s role continue to expand even after Deebo Samuel comes back?”
I doubt we will see McCloud’s role continue to grow after Samuel returns from injury. It is more likely that McCloud will go back to seeing a few plays in the gameplan targeting him, like what had been the case earlier in the season.
McCloud has played a large role in the improvement of the 49ers return game. The veteran is averaging over ten yards per punt return and has been able to return kickoffs past the 25 with consistency in recent weeks.
Cameron Britton, @CameronBrittonH – “What’s an area the 49ers defense hasn’t been elite, and how can they improve it?”
The 49ers defense has been terrific across the board this season, but if I had to point to one area, I would say pass defense.
San Francisco has allowed the fewest yards per rush this season but is “only” seventh best in yard per pass. In the three games this defense has allowed 20 points or more, teams found success through the air.
With Emmanuel Moseley out, the 49ers don’t have more bodies to throw out there to improve the coverage. We’ve also seen what happens when Charvarius Ward goes down.
Making the pass defense better is all about getting to the quarterback. The Niners pass rush has been very good at generating pressure which has played a role in the increased number of turnovers. They have forced 15 over their current eight game winning streak.
Klinker Klown, @k_klown – “Any updates on Elijah Mitchell?
Kyle Shanahan confirmed last week that the original timeline of 6-8 weeks for Elijah Mitchell is still on track. This timetable makes it unlikely we will see Mitchell again in the regular season, but he should be ready for the playoffs.
Mitchell’s powerful running style had been a solid complement to the speed and quickness of Christian McCaffrey.
When Mitchell returns, don’t expect Kyle Shanahan to take it easy on him. Mitchell had 18 carries in his first game back from a knee injury earlier this season.
I think you can add Joe Burrows to your QB list. The 49ers pass D just might end up being their achilles heel especially if they face one of the 3 aforementioned QBs.
Agreed, Old Coach. That secondary, starting with Lenoir and Hufanga, is seriously suspect. Mahomes shredded it earlier this season, and I suspect he (or Allen, Burrows, even Hurt) could do so again if the Niners advance beyond the wild card round. Loss of Verrett and Moseley was costly.
We beat Burrow last year. Allen destroyed us in 2020 and Mahomes owns us. I’m not worried about the Bengals in a Super Bowl matchup.
The weakness of the d if there is any is that they have blown coverage a few times also, as it seems every season they are just one or 2 hurt guys in the secondary away from becoming vulnerable.
After Eman went down, secondary has not imploded. There are still a lot of good players back there.
I the Niner’s are to win a sb in the next few years this is the year to do it. Things can change fast.
The quality of the pass defense clearly went down after Moseley was injured, so I worry about playing a QB like Mahomes. But I think the overall defense has improved a lot since that KC game by getting back a lot of starters. The thing they need to do better is jamming the TE’s at the line of scrimmage. Travis Kelce had all kinds of free releases in that game earlier this season, so they have to tighten up their coverage against good pass catching TE’s.
I like Gipson but he has looked a bit slow of late. Maybe put Ward back there in his traditional spot and use Gipson as a backup? Womack looked good in the slot in camp although not in the regular season.
The pass defense is facilitated by the Dline. As the Dline goes, so does the pass defense.
The current 49ers overall team is a complete 180 difference than the one who played the Chiefs.
I firmly believe that we can go up against any of the top QBs entering the playoffs.
Why? Because the 49ers are no longer solely dependent on their defense for a win.
They now have an offense that can win games on their own merit.
If there’s a weakness on the defense the offense is now in position to pick up the slack.
An area of strength covers for an area of weakness. This is what potential SB teams do.
I am biting my lip that Brock stays healthy and plays within his skills. After OTA’s, camp, and the preseason he will be even better. next year: Lance backup to start the season, Purdy to start.
Jack
* Agree with your assessment of the 9er pass defense. After E-man went down, the 9er pass defense is ranked # 16
https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/opponent-passing-yards-per-game
* The other area that concerns me is the 9er O-Line. While the O-Line pass protection has improved, they have not
shown the ability to get 1st downs and control the clock / game by running the ball against top defensive teams.
Fortunately, when the opposing defenses have stacked them box with 6 D linemen, Purdy and the receivers have
proven to be capable of scoring TD’s and controlling the game.
* While I don’t see any changes made to the O-Line this season, I expect McGlinchey to be back and replaced at RT with Buford and Brunskill the RG. I also expect Nick Zakelj to challenge Brendel for Center.
Jack, can you confirm the number of compensatory draft picks the 9ers will receive in the 2023 draft?
My understanding is:
* The 2nd of two third-rounders awarded for losing Mike McDaniel
* The 3rd of 3 third-rounders awarded for losing both R. Saleh (Jets) and M. Mayhew (Wash.) in 2021.
I believe that they can get another one if Jimmy G signs as a FA for at least 20 mill a year. Then they will get an extra 3rd in the 24 and 25 draft when Ryans signs as a HC this off season.
Tks OC
I think the weakness in the defense is the secondary. At least in a specific circumstance. For the most part the secondary keeps receivers in front of them and hopes the pass rush gets to the QB before the receiver breaks open deeper than 10 -15 yards. If the QB gets the ball to the receiver than the DB tackles them for not much YAC. But there can be two problems.
1. is when the DBs miscommunicate and it creates a wide open blown coverage. This has happened at least once or twice a game and led directly to points. I like Hufanga but he’s a liability in coverage (I mean sure he’s opportunistic but not as reliable as I’d like). Also, Gibson is just too slow to be left out in deep coverage.
2. When opponents go with up tempo short and medium passing that spreads out the field. The DBs and backers keep things in front of them but will consistently give up underneath receptions because the passing is too quick for the pass rush to get there. The linebackers are the best coverage backers in the game but they’re still linebackers and spreading them out and putting them in space exposes them. Chaverious Ward can play tight but the rest of the coverage is plays off and safe.
C. Ward is very good. If he had one weakness when he played for the Chiefs was he was grabby. Early this season he was getting away with it but recently whether he just has tired legs and is grabbing more or an opposing Coach has pointed it out to the officials and they are watching him closer, he has been called for holding/illegal contact a number of time. A few of those penalties have turned into first downs after holding teams on third down I wonder if this will continue into the playoffs.
afp
* The problem with the DB’s covering started when E-man got injured. Also, its taken Jimmy Ward a few games to switch from Safety to NB and get comfortable.
* Hufanga tries to make up for his lack of speed by trying to read the QB and anticipating the WR’s route…And yes, on occasion he makes a mistake and too often it results in points for the opponent.
I promise that I won’t write about Hufanga after this: I agree with allforfunnplay that Hufanga is a liability in coverage. He misses tackles, too. I think he’s overrated. Sometimes, I think he stinks, but that’s silly. Anyway, I’d much rather have Ward as safety. So Moseley’s injury doubly hurt us since it forced Ward into the slot — apparently the coaches don’t think any reserve corner approaches Ward’s competence.
Maybe, they shouldn’t play Hufanga in the box so much, so that Lenoir can play tighter coverage on third and long with safety help over the top. If Hufanga’s in the box so much because they’ve given him license to free-lance (which I’ve read) then maybe it’s time to define his responsibilities.
Hufanga is a great player and a pro bowler. We know and have known his coverage abilities and aggressiveness make him susceptible to the big play. Last year in the playoffs he was super solid so I am not concerned going forward.
I think what we are seeing is teams looking at the tape and designing a game plan that can be effective against the 49ers aggressiveness on defense. Also the Commanders have two big play WR’s in Dotson and McLaurin so it’s not surprising to see them make plays.
Hopefully this is good preparation for AJ Brown and Devonta Smith.
I actually agree with Nakamoto on this point. Huf is a playmaker and I like him as a player but he definitely has weaknesses an offense can exploit. A team with a very good O-line and blocking scheme can completely neutralize Huf’s playmaking ability in the box. Rush Huf at your own peril because you leave the secondary exposed when the offense blocks him. The Eagles have the exact type of offense that can make big plays on a defense that takes risks with their safeties. If Hurts is back then I’m not sure rushing a safety on him is the right call for any team. Huf is 6’0 and 185 lbs. Hurts is 6’1 and 230lbs and he squats over 500 lbs. Hurts will absolutely truck Hufanga. With NFL rules being the way they are, you have to hit the QB between the waist and shoulders. Huf will have a hard time actually tackling Hurts even if he gets a clean run on him on a blitz. If I’m Demeco Ryans playing the Eagles in the playoffs I play Huf deeper the entire game and force short throws where Huf can come up and make plays. I line Kinlaw straight up on Jason Kelce and force him to make 1v1 blocks the entire game. The Eagles O-line is great because of the versatility of Kelce. He often gets a double team and then helps both guards in the A gaps or releases to pick off LBers. Make Kelce 1 dimensional and hold his ass in position the entire game. Then let Huf use his play making ability in the secondary instead of in the box.
Last I looked, liabilities don’t make the pro-bowl.
Hufanga gets out of position with his angles on occasion, but he is far from being a liability.
Maybe outsiders have a much better perspective then 49ers fans do.
His play-making ability is a vital aspect to the defense. Let’s also remember that he is only completing his 1st season as a starter. He will gain the nuances of the game with more playing time and experience. I expect to see him in the pro-bowl for many years to come.
Trevon Diggs
T.Diggs,
Slightly better than average year, so far.
Nothing to write home about.
Trevon Diggs has made the Pro Bowl multiple times. For every 1 play Trevon Diggs makes, he gets roasted on 10 plays. Trevon Diggs is a liability on defense and he makes the Pro Bowl. Kind of laughable to use the Pro Bowl as evidence of a player not being a liability in certain parts of his game. Make 11 Ints on the year but give up 15 TD passes & rank 79th in passes over 15 yards given up and you too can make the Pro Bowl.
•The 49ers have lost 4 games this season. The teams they lost to all had mobile QB’s that make plays with their legs.
Fields
Wilson
Mariota
Mahomes
Jalen Hurts will cause a lot of problems for this defense like every mobile QB does for the 49ers.
•The 49ers do not have a legitimate second pass rusher besides Nick Bosa.
Omenihu has 4 sacks for the season but only 1 sack in his last 9 games!
Ebukam has 4.5 sacks for the season but only 1 sack in his last 8 games!
Drake Jackson has 3 sacks for the season but only 1 sack in his last 8 games!
•Lastly 3rd and long is a weakness for this defense dating back to last year. Too often they lose contain a mobile QB or sit in a soft zone and get picked apart. This is also a microcosm of the pass rush unit.
all good points
Mobile quarterbacks can be hard on anyone, not just the Niner D. As for Fields, Wilson and Mariota, they are the reason the Niners lost. The Niners played terrible.
Are not the reason
Fair assertions…but, I have to disagree with you and your point on the four losses you made note of…with the exception of the KC game, which I believe them to be over matched at that point in the season, the 9ers were awful on both sides of the ball and coaching..as far as the sack production goes, all they need is for those guys you mentioned to get a sack or two per game, for the remainder of the season and in the playoffs…I don’t think it’s necessary, though it would be great, for any of them to replicate St Nick
James,
Jordan Willis has looked outstanding the last two weeks and has looked very good in spurts in the past. Every time he has gotten hot an injury has slowed him down. Kerry Hyder has been a pretty strong pass rusher in the past and you can move him inside where he is also effective. If you watch Arik Armstead play you know that sacks aren’t the only measure of effective pass rushing. As far as future seasons go I look forward to seeing Jackson’s development after a year of NFL strength and conditioning and a year under the tutelage of the NFLs best D line coach Kris Kocurek. imho
I’m a Jimmy G fan so this is going to seem very strange to say. The reason the 49ers lost the NFCCG last year, other than Tartt’s dropped Int gift, was because the Rams loaded up against the run and forced Jimmy G to beat them in the air and he couldn’t do it. The Rams held the 49ers to 2.5 yards per rush in that game so Kyle basically abandoned the run. 49ers only had 20 rushes in that game for a total of 50 yards. The 49ers resurgence last year was absolutely because they had a dominant run game in the 2nd half of the season. The previous week in the playoffs last year against the Cowboys, the 49ers rushed 38 times for 169 yards – 4.4 yards per rush and 2 TDs. I honestly don’t believe teams will be able to load up against the run with Brock Purdy at QB and CMC in the backfield and still win the game. Purdy has one thing he does better than Jimmy G and that is that he is more effective in off script plays. Plus having CMC out of the backfield is a major killer to teams that want to stack the box against the run. I think the 49ers can put points up against any team that wants to stack the box this year. That makes this team more dangerous than last years team.
Good points. I also believe the Niners are better this year. Interestingly, Purdy’s and Jimmy’s stats are almost exactly the same this year. That says a lot about the rookie as Jimmy was having his best year before the injury.
Not to mention that both of the Rams lines dominated their parts of the the game in the 4th quarter
1.6,
“Trevon Diggs has made the Pro Bowl multiple times. For every 1 play Trevon Diggs makes, he gets roasted on 10 plays. Trevon Diggs is a liability on defense and he makes the Pro Bowl.”
You’re right, Diggs has made the pro-bowl multiple times.
Comparing “multiple times” to a one year starter, which is what Hufanga has, holds no water. Why don’t we wait after Talan has multiple years under his belt before he is called a pro-bowl liability.