San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
49ers eye another midseason revival
With McCaffrey up to speed and Rams on schedule, S.F. hears opportunity knocking
A year after their improbable midseason rally, the San Francisco 49ers need to summon an about-face this season that would qualify as only slightly less impressive.
In 2021, they overcame a 3-5 start after reaching rock bottom with a 14-point home loss to the Cardinals that linebacker Fred Warner termed “pretty embarrassing.” This season, they are 3-4 and are coming off a 21-point home loss to the Chiefs that Warner said was “embarrassing, to say the least.”
Last year, they reversed course with a 31-10 smackdown of the Rams that served as a springboard to their NFC Championship Game appearance. On Sunday, they will visit the Rams, the defending Super Bowl champions they’ve beaten in seven straight regular-season meetings, aiming for another backs-against-the-wall win.
“I think every time we’ve been in a tough situation, the Niners have always responded at a very high level,” tight end George Kittle said. “That’s something we do really well. Hopefully, we come out and we run the heck out of the football against the Rams.”
Their transformative victory against the Rams in 2021 was fueled by a seasonhigh 44 rushing attempts and the debut of All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel in a wide-back role that flummoxed defenses down the stretch.
“We’ve had a good week of practice so far, and Christian looks pretty damn good.”
George Kittle, 49ers tight end
They won't have Samuel on Sunday due to a hamstring injury. However, in another callback to 2021, they will fully unveil a backfield weapon for the first time in Christian McCaffrey — who can also torment opponents with his dual-threat ability.
The Rams (3-3) are relieved they won't face Samuel, who has 523 total yards and has accounted for five touchdowns in their past four regular-season meetings. However, they aren't thrilled about facing McCaffrey, the All-Pro running back they also wanted to acquire.
Head coach Sean McVay's reaction to the 49ers beating them out by trading four draft picks for McCaffrey: “Oh, s—, they get another great player,” he told reporters Monday.
On Oct. 16, McCaffrey had 158 total yards on 20 touches in Carolina's 24-10 loss to the Rams at SoFi Stadium, which was his last game with the Panthers.
“He's a headache to try to game plan for,” said Rams AllPro defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
McCaffrey has had a full week to digest the game plan — and become more familiar with his new offense — after he was limited to 22 snaps and 10 touches in his 49ers' debut against the Chiefs.
He played less than 72 hours after he was traded and without participating in a full practice. McCaffrey, who suited up last weekend after he went through a Saturday walkthrough, acknowledged he was swimming while he was running and catching against Kansas City.
“It's definitely good to get my bearings a little bit after last week,” McCaffrey said. “That was a little bit overwhelming. But we're here this week and I feel much better now.”
Kittle invoked his new teammate when discussing how the 49ers have rebounded from being routed by the Chiefs.
“We've had a good week of practice so far,” he said, “and Christian looks pretty damn good.”
However, McCaffrey can't singlehandedly fix all that has ailed the 49ers, who have been bad in too many areas. They entered Week 8 tied for fifth in the NFL in turnovers (12), tied for fifth in penalties (48) and ranked 20th in points per game (20.7).
Against Kansas City they had a season-high 444 yards and scored on five of their first seven full drives. However, their defense, which arrived ranked No. 1 in the NFL, allowed 529 yards, their most since 2016.
“Offensively, we have to execute better,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “And defensively, the same thing. We just can't keep taking turns on whose turn it is to screw it up.”
The 49ers, of course, typically put it all together against the Rams, who rank tied for 28th in turnover differential (minus-5), 29th in points per game (17.3) and haven't beaten an opponent with a winning record in their uneven opening.
However, the 49ers' last trip to SoFi ended with a loss in the NFC Championship Game in late January. And the Rams are coming off a bye while the 49ers will play without Samuel and a group of starters that also includes linebacker Dre Greenlaw, fullback Kyle Juszczyk and defensive tackles Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw.
The 49ers know from recent experience that they can salvage a season after a 3-5 start. But they'd rather not try to pull off the improbable for a second straight year.
“We need to get to where we need to get more quickly and just with a sense of urgency,” quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said. “We have to do this as a team. And I think that's what has made us great in the past here. We just have to get back to that.”