Niners Nation
Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey have big night against Colts
“McCaffrey, who racked up 117 yards on 21 carries, surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the season, the fifth time he has done it in his career.”
The 49ers want you to believe they don’t need a defense
“The positives for that group were that CJ West and Alfred Collins were put in increased roles, and both came up with monumental plays. West, at least, looked constantly disruptive, and I will be watching his sack through a double team a half-dozen more times.
Upton Stout, too, looked tremendous. He had two elite reps against Josh Downs tonight.
And Dee Winters was rewarded with a score for a high-IQ baiting of Rivers on an “Orlando” audible he’d already called earlier. He’s been the 49ers’ defensive player of the year.
Is that enough, though? Is getting Yetur Gross-Matos back, and having a defensive end group of him, Bryce Huff, Sam Okuayinonu, Keion White and their young defensive tackle group enough to survive in the playoffs? With a weak, ailing middle linebacker (or a veteran off the street in Eric Kendricks) and a secondary no one trusts behind it?“
Brock Purdy throws five TDs as 49ers outgun Colts in 48-27 scoreboard bonanza (paywall)
“Colts fans began to filter out with a little more than four minutes left in regulation, paused for a late Purdy interception, then proceeded to leave after Rivers tossed a pick-six to 49ers linebacker Dee Winters that clinched the final outcome.”
Meet Siran Neal: How the 49ers’ most underrated player emerged this season (paywall)
“It’s basically like driving a car,” Neal said. “Just keep looking two cars ahead of you. And keep your foot on the gas.”
Neal has 14 tackles on kick coverage this season, as well as helping clear a path for others.
“His name doesn’t always pop up, but man, those are huge plays in a game and that outside gunner it’s a really thankless and tough job,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said on his weekly KNBR radio show recently. “I think it’s the hardest job, outside of quarterback, in all of football. It is brutal out there.”
Has 49ers’ Robert Saleh rebounded back into head coach talks?
“To that end, Saleh has continued to adapt his scheme. He has skewed away from rushing four and playing Cover 3 behind it, opting to play Cover 4 at the second-highest rate in the NFL (22.4% of snaps) and with two-high safeties the sixth most in the league (50.9%). (In 2019, Saleh’s Niners played Cover 4 on 17.4% of opponent dropbacks, with two-high safeties on 37.8% of snaps.)
The idea is to force opposing offenses to execute long drives where more snaps increase the possibilities of a mistake. San Francisco has allowed the fourth-fewest explosive plays (passes of 20-plus yards or rushes of 10-plus yards) in the league.“
Brock Purdy throws five TDs as 49ers outgun Colts in 48-27 scoreboard bonanza (paywall) “The game initially appeared like it might...
