San Francisco 49ers: 3 Takeaways from Week 1 vs Panthers

The Kyle Shanahan era got off to an inauspicious start as the San Francisco 49ers were comfortably beaten 23-3 by the Carolina Panthers.

The San Francisco 49ers were unable to stretch their opening-game winning streak to seven games on Sunday as Kyle Shanahan saw his head coaching debut end in a dispiriting 23-3 defeat to the Carolina Panthers.

San Francisco appeared competitive in the opening stages of the game but an injury to rookie linebacker Reuben Foster seemed to suck the life out of both the team and the stadium.

From there the Panthers had little difficulty in easing to victory, leaving no doubt that the Niners’ rebuild has a long way to go. Here we look at three takeaways from the Week 1 loss.

3. Reuben Foster is already the heart of the team

When Foster was on the field, the 49ers defense was competing well and keeping the Panthers in check. Foster had been enjoying a promising debut in which he recorded three tackles and went close to picking off Cam Newton. But the play after he was carted off with an ankle injury that initially appeared serious saw the 49ers gave up a touchdown as Newton connected with Russell Shepard for a 40-yard score.

The defense still did a decent job restricting the Panthers to just 287 yards, with 116 of them coming on the ground at 3.1 yards per carry, but appeared lifeless for much of the contest after his exit.

Reuben Foster said he expects to play Sunday vs. #Seahawks. #49ers
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) September 10, 2017

San Francisco’s defense was hamstrung by constantly having to defend short fields and was still able to force two turnovers but, at this early stage, it already appears to be Foster, who — per Niners Nation — expects to return “very, very soon” after x-rays came back negative, that makes the unit tick.

A lack of pass rush will be of concern for defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, the Niners’ talented defensive front only able to engineer eight total pressures, per Pro Football Focus‘ Refocused recap, and recording no sacks.

2. The interior O-Line is a mess

One thing quarterbacks hate above all else is pressure from the interior. And 49ers quarterback Brian Hoyer had to deal with it in spades in the opener as the Panthers’ defensive linemen dominated the guys up front for San Francisco.

More from NFL Spin Zone

Guard Zane Beadles particularly struggled as he was outmatched by Kawann Short, who racked up four pressures of Hoyer, per PFF‘s recap. Beadles’ failings meant the comparatively impressive efforts of Joe Staley and Trent Brown at the tackle positions were for nought, with Hoyer taking four sacks.

Things get no easier for San Francisco next weekend as they face the fearsome defensive front of the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Continuity is important on the offensive line but it may be best to bench Beadles to avoid a debacle in Week 2.

1. Miscues, penalties and Hoyer thwart offense

For as much as Carolina’s pressure impacted the play of the San Francisco offense, the most frustrating aspect of the game was the way in which the Niners shot themselves in the foot. San Francisco was called for 10 total penalties for 74 yards while the 49ers also saw three fourth-down conversion attempts fail, leading to six points for the Panthers.

Marquise Goodwin dropped Hoyer’s best pass of the game, which would have resulted in the opening touchdown had he caught a deep ball that was delivered on the money. Hoyer himself must take plenty of the blame for a dire offensive showing. Though he completed 22-of-25 passes within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, he was 2-of-10 beyond 10 yards, according to PFF Refocused.

Next: NFL Power Rankings 2017: Week 2

He also threw a dreadful interception to Luke Kuechly, fumbled and missed reads in a performance that served as a reminder as to why he is considered little more than a placeholder under center.