Niners Nation
The San Francisco 49ers looked the part in Week 15 against an inferior opponent in a convincing 13-point victory. The path to the No. 1 seed is clear, but the 49ers still have three difficult games to go and must handle their business.
Before we look ahead, let’s get into the Winners and Losers from the Niners’ win over the Titans.
When the 49ers’ offense peaks, it’s because their quarterback is making plays off-script. Purdy attempted 23 passes when he had longer than 2.5 seconds to throw. He completed 17 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns on those throws. Purdy picked up a trio of first downs with his legs, including a 26-yard scamper.
When Purdy was scrambling outside of the pocket, he had a few throws that were down the field that resulted in first downs. When he is on the run, the offense has its best opportunity to generate explosive plays. That will come in handy during the final three games.
Pearsall had as many targets in Week 15 as he did in Weeks 12 and 13 combined. You could see there was a concerted effort to get Pearsall the ball. He had a terrific matchup against a banged-up secondary that had an undrafted free agent cornerback. Pearsall did not disappoint.
Pearsall generated 9.1 receiving EPA, which was the fifth-most in Week 15 among all wideouts. He also averaged 2.8 yards of separation on those targets on 13.3 air yards per target. Those are WR1 numbers. Pearsall being targeted down the field will keep defenses honest and will force you to defend the entire field. Purdy targeted him 30 percent of the time.
Everything about the Purdy to Pearsall duo on Sunday was ideal. He saw more usage in the slot and had a season-high at one point. That might be the easiest way to get Pearsall the ball moving forward.
Kittle is the engine that makes this passing offense go. He’s incredible. Kittle had 29 percent of the targets. That tells me the 49ers came out of the bye week and realized they are going to go down swinging with their two best players, as they should.
The lone YAC bro remaining, Kittle had 78 yards after the catch. The lone YAC bro remaining, Kittle had 78 yards after the catch, which was 44 more yards than the rest of the 49ers pass catchers combined. Kittle finished with 88 receiving yards, but the way he avoided tackles and turned short passes into big plays should not be taken for granted.
It seems simple. If Kittle is featured in the passing game, the 49ers offense thrives.
The 49ers were exceptional on third and fourth down, as well as in the red zone on offense. They were 10-for-16 on late downs. The offense generated an EPA of 0.77 per play on late downs with a 75 percent success rate. Those are video game...
