The San Francisco 49ers are not like the other teams remaining in the NFL playoffs. They don’t have an offense that’s going to outplay you with flashy plays on the pitch. They simply beat you into submission with their physique.
If the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, or Cincinnati Bengals can’t offend you in a game, they’re in trouble. This does not apply to the 49ers. Kyle Shanahan’s team can lead their defense – and even their special teams – to victory, as we saw last week against the Green Bay Packers. Still, as the No. 6 seed in the NFC, the 49ers have been underdogs in every playoff game they’ve played, and that’s going to keep going.
The 49ers have a legitimate shot at winning the Super Bowl this year, but they’ll have to keep playing some of their best balls of the season. Below, we’ll break down three keys to a San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl LVI win.
“Game manager” is probably the least sexy descriptor you can apply to a starting flagman, but that’s what the 49ers need from Jimmy Garoppolo. In two playoff games this year, Garoppolo failed to pass for more than 172 yards and threw one interception in each game with zero touchdowns. No one is asking him to light up the scoreboard like Patrick Mahomes, but if he can serve as an effective and efficient game director and eliminate turnovers from now on, the 49ers have a real shot.
It’s all about passing the ball to your playmakers in Deebo Samuel, Elijah Mitchell and George Kittle. That’s how the 49ers have used Garoppolo all season. In fact, he hasn’t thrown more than two touchdowns in a single game in 2021! However, being an effective game manager doesn’t just have to do with turnovers. Jimmy G is going to have to step in at the time and take control of the game in more ways than just kicking off the football. For example, he can’t break the ball when Trent Williams isn’t ready after being sent on the move on fourth-and-first with 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter – like he did against the Cowboys. I initially wondered why Williams was being sent on the move, but Shanahan answered my question last weekend.
That one tricky mistake almost led to a game-winning Dallas Cowboys two weeks ago, but luckily for the 49ers, Mike McCarthy mistook a quarterback for a Hail Mary.
Being an effective game manager also means being more consistent moving the shackles and evoking more offensive consistency in general. Your first 13 plays can’t add up to -10 yards like we saw last Saturday night.
Win on defense and special teams
The 49ers statistically have the worst offense of the four remaining playoff teams, but they say the defense wins the championships for a reason. San Francisco finished the regular season with the league’s No. 3 defense and leads all remaining playoff teams in average points allowed per playoff game with 13.5. Holding the Cowboys to 17 in Dallas was a feat, as was the Packers to 10 in Green Bay. Being able to turn back offenses from the Rams and then the Chiefs/Bengals is hugely important to the 49ers winning the Super Bowl.
One of the reasons the 49ers have been so good defensively is the pass rush. The defensive front constantly pressures quarterbacks, firing every quarterback it’s faced in the playoffs five times. The last time he faced Matthew Stafford in the regular season finale? Five bags too.
The 49ers may also have the best special teams in the playoffs, and they led them to victory last weekend. The 49ers blocked a field goal late in the first half against Green Bay to keep the score 7-0, then blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown to tie the game late in the fourth. quarter. To top it off, Robbie Gould threw the game-winning basket.
San Francisco earned seven points on special teams and won three in a tight game.
Please check the subscribe box to confirm that you wish to subscribe.
Thank you for your registration!
Keep an eye on your inbox.
Sorry!
An error occurred while processing your subscription.
60 minutes
This may be the most important step in San Fran’s plan to win the Super Bowl. The 49ers must avoid slow starts and slow finishes. While they stayed close to the Packers before scoring the game’s final 10 points, the 49ers didn’t score a single point until the third quarter. The 49ers also had to make a huge comeback last time out against the Rams, as LA scored the game’s first 17 points in Week 18.
The decrease after hot starts was also something to watch. As the 49ers took a 13-0 lead against the Cowboys on Super Wild Card Weekend, they allowed a 10-0 run to nearly blow up the game in the fourth quarter. Plus, remember the 49ers were outscored 21-0 by the Chiefs in the final seven minutes of the Super Bowl two years ago.
If a team is going to allow the 49ers to take a double-digit lead, Shanahan will have to find a way to maintain that lead. The 49ers can’t get off to a slow start either. If they go down 17 against the Rams this time around, there’s no guarantee they can pull off another comeback.
