The Rams accomplished the expected. They defeated the 49ers. The 49ers defense is depleted. Though, their starting secondary was on the field, the front seven is almost unrecognizable. Weeks ago, the 49ers had Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Mykel Williams. Now all three are on injured reserve, working on recovery and waiting to play…next year.
The Los Angeles Rams are an example of a team that has successfully retooled and reinvented themselves. They have drafted well. They have made smart free agent choices. The Rams have also made good trades. Finally, L.A. has coached well.
Head Coaches’ Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan have similar careers as head coaches. Coach McVay is 87 and 54 in the regular season with eight victories and five losses in the playoffs. Kyle Shanahan is 76 and 65 in the regular season with eight victories and four losses in the playoffs. Both have two Super Bowl Appearances. While Shanahan has the edge on NFC Championship appearances (Three to McVay’s two), McVay has the edge on Super Bowl Victories…one. Finally, McVay has one more year of experience than Shanahan at the head coaching position.
So, what is the real difference between the two. Both field outstanding rosters every year. Both are outstanding coaches. Yet, it is McVay who has secured that elusive Super Bowl ring. One could say injuries is the difference. The 49ers have certainly been snake bitten by a litany of injuries to key players over the years. Twenty-Nine players have missed games for the 49ers this year alone.
I think the real difference is the quarterback position. The 49ers have been to two Super Bowls under Shanahan with two different quarterbacks. The margins of both losses to the Chiefs are ever so slim. A Jimmy Garoppolo overthrow to Emmanual Sanders to win the game lost the first game. Brock Purdy’s inability to get the ball in the end-zone in overtime led to the second Super Bowl loss in the Shanahan era.
For McVay, Jared Goff simply wasn’t enough. They moved on from Goff with a block buster trade to Detroit. Goff, two first round picks and a third-round pick were sent to Detroit in exchange for generational talent Matthew Stafford. Rumors abound that Kyle Shanahan was interested in Stafford. More unsubstantiated rumors appeared indicating that the 49ers offered a paltry sum for Stafford’s services, unwilling to meet the high price of multiple first round picks.
Did the 49ers whiff on failing to trade for Stafford? It is unknown if they ever actually made an offer. Yet, they sent the exact same trade package as the Rams to Miami to acquire the third pick in the draft to secure Trey Lance’s services. That did turn out to be a major whiff.
Whether or not the 49ers actually made an offer to Stafford, they clearly missed out on an opportunity to win their sixth title. Stafford is currently putting up career numbers and production. He already led his team to win one Super Bowl and could very well do it again this year.
The 49ers front office has been good…and in some cases great. Yet, they have missed at the ultimate position on several occasions. They drafted Solomon Thomas at number three instead of Patrick Mahomes. They drafted Trey Lance at number three in a subpar quarterback draft class. Finally, they failed to take advantage of the opportunity to trade for Stafford.
The 49ers made it work with Garoppolo. Shanahan made it work with Brock Purdy. Number 13 is talented. He processes the field better than most quarterbacks. He is efficient. Yet, he too needs a bit more help than the “elite” quarterbacks in this current generation. He lacks the innate talent of quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford.
So, once again the 49ers are stuck with a big contract and an injured quarterback. The 49ers need Brock Purdy to get back on the field. They need Brandon Aiyuk and Ricky Pearsall back on the field. But most importantly, the 49ers need to figure out how to stay healthy.
Some may say that the 49ers need to get better in the trenches. Watching the Rams yesterday, I must whole heartily agree. Stafford can do what he does because his line protects well, and blocks exceptionally well in the run game. For a team that emphasizes the run game, Shanahan and Lynch have failed to secure an offensive line that can consistently move opposing defensive lines and protect the quarterback. If they are going to miss out on generational talents such as Mahomes and Stafford, they must protect their signal caller better.
Brock Purdy is good enough to win a Super Bowl. He is better than Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson and Nick Foles. Frankly, I think he and Jalen Hurts are on par, though Hurts is clearly more athletic. The 49ers must build a line to road grade and protect. Finally, they must revamp their training room so they can remain healthy.
It’s not all bad news. The 49ers still have great productive players…on offense. Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle were productive. Frankly this week’s game should have been closer than it was. The 49ers first series was cut short by a missed pass interference call. In fact, several drives were cut short because of defensive muggings left unchecked by the subpar refereeing this week. Teams must overcome bad reffing every week. That is easier to do when your team is fully staffed and healthy. The 49ers are not. They have no margin for error. Despite that, they have a chance to defeat their next four foes before going into Indianapolis.
The Niners are still in it to win it. Arizona, Carolina, Cleveland and Tennessee are all very winnable games. Purdy, Aiyuk, Pearsall and Watkins are due to be back soon. Even so, with Matt Jones under center they can still match scores with all four of those teams while the defense works to find its identity without Bosa and Warner. Stay Faithful.
