Niners Nation
The San Francisco 49ers received the opening kickoff. Christian McCaffrey kicked things off by picking up 11 yards on 3rd & 10. Ricky Pearsall followed that up with a six-yard reception on 3rd & 3. McCaffrey would rush for another first down on third down, making it three in a row for the offense.
The 49ers picked up five first downs on their way to the red zone. The blocking was excellent, the running game was diverse, and it looked as though the offense was clicking on all cylinders.
It looked as though the offense may stall, but Brock Purdy found Jauan Jennings for a 12-yard touchdown pass on 2nd & 10, capping off a 15-play, 72-yard drive that took nearly nine minutes. McCaffrey picked up 40 yards from scrimmage on the drive. Purdy was 6-for-7. The only thing to complain about was the lack of George Kittle.
The defense began in “big Nickel” with Jason Pinnock on the field. Bryce Huff had an early impact, drawing a holding penalty after pressuring Bryce Young. Dave Canales is generally aggressive, but punted the ball back to San Francisco on 4th & 3.
Ben Bartch would get the second series at left guard. He would not get much playing time, as Brock Purdy threw a knuckleball to Jauan Jennings. Jaycee Horn undercut the route, and the Panthers had the ball in the low red zone.
For whatever reason, Carolina elected to throw the ball on 1st & goal from the one-yard line. On a play-action pass, Young floated a pass to the back of the end zone, but it landed in the hands of Ji’Ayir Brown. The momentum shifted back to the Niners, who remained in the lead.
The 49ers dominated time of possession in the first quarter, holding the ball for over 10 minutes and earning seven first downs, but they were fortunate to escape with the lead.
Bartch remained at left guard to begin the third drive. Kittle joined the fun with an 11-yard reception. The 49ers went for it on 3rd & 1, and Purdy snuck it for a first down. Brock rushed for a first down on his next dropback. That element had been missing from the offense.
On 3rd and 6, Purdy underthrew Ricky Pearsall, and his pass was intercepted in the end zone: another scoring opportunity wasted, and another poor decision by Purdy.
Rookie Tet McMillian dropped a wide-open pass on 3rd & 2, bailing the defense out. Christian McCaffrey fumbled on the ensuing drive. Carolina had multiple opportunities, but didn’t pounce on the ball. Unfortunately for the 49ers, Purdy was in the giving mood.
Purdy threw another interception. This was one of the varieties when he didn’t see the defender. It was an awful look, but it wasn’t necessarily new.
Carolina had a 3rd & goal situation, but Malik Mustapha came flying up for a tackle for loss, and a much-needed stop. The Panthers kicked a field goal to make it 7-3. So, three points...
