Underwhelming output puts damper on offensive hype
Sunday’s 13-0 win over the Saints was just what the doctor ordered for the San Francisco 49ers. Or, more specifically, what their fans needed.
The Faithful and the media were in danger of hyperventilating over the 49ers’ three straight wins, including the previous week’s boffo steamroller job over the Cardinals in Mexico City. There was talk that this team’s offense was just about ready to be unleashed. There was worry that the 49ers might not be able to afford Jimmy Garoppolo when he becomes a free agent next offseason.
Sign Jimmy for 10 more years, said Steve Young.
But you don’t want a bandwagon to hit warp speed this early in the season, and Sunday provided, if not a return to sanity, at least a reality check.
Against a non-elite team, the 49ers struggled offensively. Their lone touchdown, a Garoppolo pass that was tipped by Saints
“I know we’re going to continue to figure stuff out. Short week was a little difficult for us, not a lot of sleep, but got a full week ahead of us, playing the Dolphins (in Levi’s Stadium), we’ll be locked and loaded.” George Kittle, 49ers tight end
safety Tyrann Mathieu, was made possible by Mathieu’s 5-foot-9 stature. If he was 5-10, the afternoon would have been quite different.
Garoppolo, who has been having a breakthrough season, took a step back. He was 26for-37 on his passes, for 222 yards and a decent 94.7 passer rating, but he missed some throws and some open guys. He almost threw two interceptions in the end zone.
In fairness, he also took some lumps. Just one sack, but on one illegal hit he got his left knee twisted the wrong way and went down, obviously in pain. But he finished, so the injury-prone Jimmy of past seasons has not been seen this year.
Beyond Garoppolo, the 49ers did not get their vaunted, explosive offense untracked. Deebo Samuel, last season’s NFL discovery of the year, remained under wraps. He caught three passes for 43 yards, and ran twice for zero yards.
In the first half Sunday, Samuel caught one pass for 20 yards, and had those two zero runs.
Because the 49ers have so many offensive game-busters, they can’t all go crazy every game, but it would be fair to observe that Samuel has perhaps not lived up to his billing or to his new contract. That could be because the 49ers and Kyle Shanahan are still trying to figure how to utilize all those weapons, but that offense Sunday against the Saints, that was not Super Bowl-level stuff.
After the game I asked George Kittle if the 49ers were close to unlocking the offense’s potential.
“Oh, I think we’re close,” Kittle said. “We did a really good job last week. I know it’s tough for us today, 13 points, that’s not what your offense wants to do, but I will say that when it got gritty, I thought we played pretty well. We had a couple bad-ball situations, where we’re (starting a drive) at our 1-yard line. …
“We made the plays that we needed to make. Jauan Jennings was fantastic today, Jimmy made the throws he needed to make, we missed a couple here and there, whether it was the running game or the passing game, we ended up playing well enough to get that win, all that really matters is the dub.”
That’s old Mr. Positive, and you have to respect Kittle’s relentless optimism. But Kittle himself, once a truly feared tight end, caught just three passes Sunday, for 26 yards.
Kittle is a great blocker, and Samuel can be a fantastic decoy, but those can’t be their roles week after week if this team is going to the promised land.
“I know we’re going to continue to figure stuff out,” Kittle said. “Short week was a little difficult for us, not a lot of sleep, but got a full week ahead of us, playing the Dolphins (in Levi’s Stadium), we’ll be locked and loaded.”
When Samuel signed his contract and when Christian McCaffrey came over, expectations for this offense went through the roof. Did we all get too giddy?
“Nah,” Kittle said. “I think that should be the expectation. We have incredibly talented players at almost every single position, I think all positions, we have a very good offense. I will say the Saints, they had a hell of game plan for us. Their defensive line was one of the more physical defenses I’ve played. They were strong as hell, so their defense affected us in the run game.”
McCaffrey’s impact was minimized Sunday, with a final tally of four receptions for 17 yards, and 11 carries for 32 yards. In terms of slowing the runaway bandwagon, McCaffrey did his part. But he said he believes he is close to mastering the 49ers’ offense.
“Probably almost there,” McCaffrey said. “I still gotta get more reps, but almost there.”
So many weapons, so little damage. That has to change, this offense has to provide fireworks, consistently. No great team can lean on its defense this hard, not consistently.
But the defense carried the fellas Sunday, and maybe that’s why Kittle, as he dressed at his locker, was singing the old Bill Withers classic, “Lean on Me.”