Niners Nation
After a one-year hiatus, the San Francisco 49ers return to the playoffs. The regular season has been full of rollercoaster moments. The highs include thrilling victories over the Rams and Bears, while the lows feature losing two of the best players in the league at their respective positions.
We’ve learned a lot about Kyle Shanahan this year. Despite all the injuries the offense endured throughout the season, his scheme proved it can transcend the absence of star players. The 49ers were once again prolific offensively, finishing second in schedule-adjusted efficiency and third in success rate.
If the 49ers are going to make a playoff run, it’ll need to be on the backs of their offense. The defense showed some fight in Week 18, but the depth is depleted, and the margin for error no longer exists. Any drive that doesn’t result in points is a win for Robert Saleh.
Expectations reset in the playoffs. What you did for 17 games doesn’t matter. It’s about which team executes for 50 minutes. With that in mind, let’s discuss five unanswered questions about the 49ers as they enter the playoffs.
Looking at various numbers daily, the ones that show the most correlation with winning are passing success rate and generating explosive plays through the air. For the season, the 49ers finished third in passing success rate, at 53.1 percent. Since Week 11, the offense remained consistent, sitting third once more at 52.8 percent.
The 49ers’ offense was below league average this season in explosive play rate through the air, ranking 20th. They were much better in the final three games, ranking third, which is encouraging coming out of the bye week. Still, over the final 10 games, on a larger sample, the Niners were 20th.
Week 18 was a prime example of how difficult offense can be when you don’t generate explosives. The 49ers did it on one drive, and they quickly marched down the field and into the red zone. Outside of that drive, it was tough sledding for the offense.
I’d expect Kyle Shanahan and his coaching staff to review the Week 13 matchup between the Eagles and the Chicago Bears and watch it closely, perhaps stealing some of the concepts involving motion.. Ben Johnson windrow dressed his way up and down the field, had Philadelphia’s second-level defenders confused, and found a way to control the game, despite only one explosive passing play. It’s possible, but it won’t be easy.
There are a couple of trains of thought when it comes to fourth-down decision-making. Before we share those, there is nothing more valuable in football than possessing the ball. The best chance you have to win in this league is when you have the ball.
Knowing that, teams are either uber-aggressive on fourth down because they know their offense is potent and can pick up whatever yardage they need. Then there are the...
