49ers lose Defensive Slug Fest

The 49ers defense did its job on Sunday. They held the high-flying Cardinal offense to 10 points until there was five minutes left in the fourth and Kyler Murray hit DeAndre Hopkins for a touchdown. The Niners defensive line lived in the Cardinal backfield. They only sacked Kyler twice, but they chased him all over the field forcing him to throw balls away in key moments of Cardinal drives. If the defense can keep this type of performance up the rest of the season, no one will want to play the 49ers moving forward.

Trey Lance had a tough debut. He has much to learn. That is to be expected. He is a rookie. However, his team could help him out. Offensive linemen false starting and holding does not help your rookie. Receivers dropping key receptions does not help your rookie. Trey threw three balls that were too tall for his receiver’s. That’s it. He also threw balls that were on the money to players like Deebo Samuel and Mohammed Sanu. Both dropped would be completions on 3rd downs. Unfortunately, compounding matters, first round right tackle Mike McGlinchey is consistently getting beat every week. He committed several holding penalties to keep his quarterback from getting hit. If he doesn’t improve, the team will move on from him in the off season.

This was not Kyle Shanahan’s best day as the 49ers Head Coach. No, I am not calling for his head. I am calling for him to do better. There were several plays I struggled with. During the offense’s first possession, Coach Shanahan had Travis Benjamin on the field for some inexplicable reason. Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk are your starters, yet he put in Benjamin in place of Aiyuk. Trey Lance’s first interception is on the Coach Shanahan as much as it is on Lance’s high throw. They both share responsibility for that failure. The next coaching gaff came in the fourth quarter with 11 minutes left in the game and it was 7 to 10. Coach Shanahan thought it would be wise to quick snap it to Kyle Juszczyk to get the long yard for the first down. It was the wrong decision. The Niners were moving the ball. Lance had just led the Niners on a 6 play 59-yard drive for a touchdown. Leave the ball in your young Quarterback’s hands. He is 6’4 and 230 pounds. He can either run for it, throw a quick slant or set up a shuffle pass. Direct snapping to your fullback for a long yard is not the answer. Besides, the Cardinals saw that on film from last week. They would be prepared, especially JJ Watt. Perhaps Coach Shanahan was scared Lance would get stone walled at the line of scrimmage just like he was on the goal line in the first half. You can’t coach scared. Lance is the future. Show confidence in him and trust him to get the first down.

The Cardinals defense were jazzed to play this game. They knew they would have opportunities to feast on a young rookie quarterback. The Cardinals defense specifically game planned for Trey Lance. They sacked Lance twice. They picked him off once. Part of their game planning was getting their arms up at the line of scrimmage when he threw. They knew they were going to have trouble getting to him. That is why there were so many tipped balls at the line of scrimmage. Still, Trey Lance completed 15 out of 29 pass attempts for 192 yards to 7 different receivers. Lance also ran for 89 yards on 16 carries. Unfortunately, the difference in this game is Trey Lance getting stoned at the goal line by Isaiah Simmons in the first quarter. If Lance crossed the goal line, the game would have been tied with two minutes to go and who knows how it would have ended. The Niners are 2-3 and start a bye week. They will go home, lick their wounds, and prepare for a 24 October date with the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football.

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