The San Francisco 49ers are in the middle of a seven game win streak, something they have accomplished only two other times in the last 25 years.
In both 2011 and 2019 San Francisco ran off eight game winning streaks on the way to the playoffs. The 2011 season culminated in a trip to the NFC Championship game. In 2019 the team made it all the way to the Super Bowl.
With the NFC West championship in hand and a defense which has allowed over 19 points just twice, the 49ers appear ready to make a deep run into the playoffs even with a rookie quarterback who was third on the depth chart most of the season leading the offense.
San Francisco’s ability to make a deep run again this season will come down to their ability to manage one area, turnovers.
Since the start of 2021, the 49ers have gone 21-3 when they haven’t turned the ball over more than their opponents.
This is where having a rookie quarterback becomes a dicey.
Although Purdy has only thrown only one interception since replacing Jimmy Garoppolo as the starter, there have been a couple of near misses. One of those came last week against Seattle.
Clinging to a 7-3 lead late in the first half, Purdy made a poor throw down the middle to Jauan Jennings. Seattle safety Quandre Diggs undercut the throw and dropped the interception despite getting both hands on the ball.
A turnover there would have given Seattle the ball in 49ers territory. Instead, San Francisco got a break with the Diggs drop and were helped out even further when Travis Homer fumbled the ball away only five plays later. Cornerback Charvarius Ward scooped up the ball and returned it all the way down to the six. Christian McCaffrey would punch the ball in to give San Francisco a 14-3 halftime lead.
Make no mistake about it, Brock Purdy has been impressive over the last three weeks. He’s been nearly perfect off play action and helped the offense average over 27 points.
Since 2009 there have been three rookie quarterbacks who have led their teams to the conference championship, but no rookie quarterback has ever reached the Super Bowl.
Ben Roethlisberger went 13-0 in the regular season before throwing three interceptions in a 24-14 loss to New England in the 2005 AFC Championship game.
Joe Flacco threw three interceptions and completed only 13 of 30 pass attempts in a 23-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2009 AFC Championship game.
Mark Sanchez had the best performance of the three, throwing only one interception and completing 17 or 30 passes for 257 yards to go along with a pair of touchdowns in a 30-17 loss to Indianapolis in the AFC Championship game the following year.
All three rookies had terrific defenses behind them as well. Pittsburgh and New York had allowed the fewest points in the league while Baltimore finished with the third fewest.
For the 49ers to make history, they will need Brock Purdy to hold on to the ball and create a few plays along the way.
The 4 biggest concerns for the 49ers are:
#1 Health
#2 Health
#3 Health
#4 Brock Purdy
If the O is 100% healthy including Deebo Samuels and E. Mitchell at full strength. The D is 100% healthy including Kinlaw, Givens and K. Davis. Then it comes down to Purdy not Sh***** the bed. He doesn’t need to be Montana/Young great just good will be enough. imho
Old coach is spot on…..
OC makes sense as he always seems to. My affection for Purdy is well known and I have commented on his delightful dancing eyes and mischievous endearing smile. But I am not totally sold on his ability in the playoffs where the game speeds up. This Saturday may fortify my belief in him.
Old Coach
I’d replace #3 with Lucky…..Every SB winner had some good luck during the season!
1. Health.
2. Purdy’s further development.
3. Red Zone Offense
4. Interior Run Defense. (No one has really committed to running hard and inside at the Niners and I’ve seen some soft spots at times).
5. The right mix/balance of offensive play design/play calling/game planning. Continue the right mix of runs (right mix of wide zone, inside zone, gap…etc..), pass first when necessary or advantageous, play action, horizontal designed/manufactured passes and full field drop back passes.
Allfor,
#4 Could be taken care of if we have a healthy Armstead, Kinlaw, Givens and possibly Davis.
Maybe. But defensive alignment and scheme makes them vulnerable to inside runs as well. Armstead isn’t a typical interior defensive lineman. He’s fine when his primary job is penetration like that of a classic Under Tackle/3T. But I do not know how he would do in a tighter inside technique, having to hold his ground and squeeze gaps. Kinlaw has been a bull in a China shop and has at times been out of his gap or washed out. In what little I’ve seen of him; he does not play with disciplined gap integrity. Also, the backers are not great at taking on interior blockers, shedding and tackling. They’re best at shooting gaps cleanly or fast flow to the outside.
49ers, defense, defense and more defense!
NOPE! Health is the biggest concern. Nothing more than that.
Staying healthy is true in every game. We all know that players staying healthy is key.
I wanted Lance to stay healthy, I wanted Jimmy, Mitchell, Kinlaw and Moseley to stay healthy. But when football happens, so do injuries. The true test of the strength of a team is how to continue to win when injuries take place.
Shanahan has done a great job in establishing a culture of winning through all the injuries.
Don’t want any players getting hurt on Saturday, but I also don’t want to see our game plan changing either. Defense has been a major reason why the team has been successful, and it will be a major reason why the team further.
For me, it’s about the defense.
Teams that win championships have three things in common. They are good. They are healthy. They are lucky. We are seeing all three in this 7 game win streak.
Tdawg,
Well said.
Yes sir
Reports that Mason has a Hammie strain. Maybe this will be the week that TDP gets a real test.
Per NinersNation,
“NFL executives vote Nick Bosa over Micah Parsons 2-to-1 as the Defensive Player of the Year
Kyle Shanahan was the runner up for Coach of the Year.”
“Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships”..Bear Bryant
Very true..but my main concern is that the 9ers maintain a healthy roster…sound fundamental football…one mistake can take this storybook season, and turn it into an obituary
It’s a Beauty and the Beast scenario, in the end they both win, lol.
The biggest concern ahead for the 49ers is finding a way to stay competitive in the NFC West. The division is stacked with talented teams such as the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams, and the 49ers will need to find a way to stay competitive against these teams if they want to make a deep run in the playoffs. Additionally, the 49ers will need to stay healthy, as they have been hit hard by injuries in recent years. I feel better to see this blog I also share with you some important news that royal online classes provide the best online class services and online exam help services. for more visit: https://royalonlineclasses.com
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