Turf Show Times
It’s the matchup we’ve all been waiting for, as the Los Angeles Rams face off against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night. The winner of this matchup will hold the early edge in the NFC West race. Oh, what fun!
Ahead of this highly anticipated affair, I spoke with Nicholas McGee from Niners Nation and asked him about how Kyle Shanahan and company have held down the fort early in the season, what the 49ers have done to replace Nick Bosa and more.
Q – The 49ers began the year with several injuries, yet managed to jump out to 3-0 before losing to Jacksonville on Sunday. How did Kyle Shanahan and company manage to hold down the fort, especially with Brock Purdy missing time?
A – There were several factors behind the 49ers’ hot start. A huge amount of credit has to go to the defense, which, much like the Rams did a couple of years ago, has found several young contributors who have made a significant difference. Robert Saleh’s influence cannot be understated, with his return appearing to revitalize a group that has played a lot faster than it did in 2024.
On offense, the fast start was another feather in the cap for Kyle Shanahan and his ability to seemingly engineer production regardless of the circumstances. His scheme is by no means quarterback proof and obviously requires a baseline level of talent to succeed, but the manner in which he played to the strengths of Mac Jones and created easy buttons with the usage of Christian McCaffrey in the passing game was very impressive. On top of that, the continued ascension of Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings as reliable and explosive weapons, combined with McCaffrey’s excellence as a receiver, ensured the passing game was able to thrive in adversity.
Q – Speaking of Purdy, he had a rough return in Week 4 after missing the previous two games, turning the ball over three times against the Jaguars in the 26-21 loss. What does he need to do to shake off the bad performance on a short week against the Rams?
A – It was no surprise on Monday that Shanahan revealed Purdy felt toe soreness after the Jaguars game. He looked like a quarterback still battling the effects of an injury. In terms of how he played the position, Purdy was high on throws on far too many occasions and was also guilty of being late to pull the trigger. The 49ers need to be absolutely sure Purdy is healthy before putting him back out there. If he plays, Purdy will need to quickly rediscover his accuracy and, more pertinently, against the Rams’ front, speed up his clock to avoid punishment that could lead to negative plays and risk further injury.
**Q – SF is clearly missing Nick Bosa, who is lost for the year due to a torn ACL. In the first game without him, the 49ers failed to record a sack...
