The San Francisco 49ers held on for a thrilling win over the Detroit Lions in Week 2, here we look at three big takeaways from the triumph.
The San Francisco 49ers had a lucky escape as they got their first win of 2018, surviving a furious fourth-quarter rally from the Detroit Lions with some help from the officials.
Having led 30-13, the 49ers gave up two successive touchdowns as Matthew Stafford led the Lions back, and appeared on course for defeat when Tracy Walker picked off a Jimmy Garoppolo pass and returned it deep into San Francisco territory. Fortunately for San Fran, that was only for the play to be waved off for a holding call on Quandre Diggs in a colossal break for the Niners.
San Francisco subsequently bled the clock and its defense came up with a crucial stop to ice a game that the 49ers will learn plenty from. Here, we look at three big takeaways from a Week 2 thriller.
49ers forget and remember how to finish
San Francisco appeared in complete command holding a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter after Lions running back LeGarrette Blount was ejected for shoving over Elijah Lee. But on the subsequent third-and-17, Stafford connected with Golden Tate on a 67-yard catch and run that kept a drive ended by a touchdown pass to Marvin Jones alive.
That set in motion a dramatic finale in which the Niners offense struggled to move the ball to put the game to bed and the defense found it near-impossible to stop Stafford. Starting cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon was picked on as the Lions refused to target Richard Sherman, with numerous mental mistakes from San Francisco’s young secondary helping the Lions quarterback pick them apart.
It really should never have gotten to that point, the 49ers needed to keep on the gas pedal on both sides of the ball to kill off the game but, as Sherman alluded to in his post-game press conference, they did the opposite, particularly on defense.
Richard Sherman putting all of the blame on the players.
— Joe Fann (@Joe_Fann) September 17, 2018
"Robert Saleh called an incredible game."
Suggested guys on defense took their foot off the gas pedal when it was 30-13. Said this game will be a learning experience for a lot of young players.
However, when it really counted in the clutch this young group game through, Arik Armstead’s fourth-down pressure on Stafford forcing him into a checkdown to Theo Riddick that fell incomplete. This will be a lesson in never letting up for the 49ers, but at least they remembered how to close before it was too late.
Garoppolo yet to find his groove
Garoppolo was able to breathe a huge sigh of relief but at this early stage in the season it appears the man the Niners franchise quarterback still has some growing to do. Though he fortunately avoided turning the ball over after a three-interception game in the opener with the Minnesota Vikings, Garoppolo took six sacks as receivers often struggled to get open against some impressive Lions coverage.
Garoppolo conceded he has to work on getting the ball out quicker, though he should have some better looks in the coming weeks when Marquise Goodwin returns from injury.
Jimmy Garoppolo on sacks: "I've got to work on getting the ball out quicker." #49ers
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) September 17, 2018
The offense as a whole grew stagnant as the game went on, yet the Niners can take solace in that they had more joy in the red zone than in Week 1, going 2-of-5 inside the 20. Garoppolo is not yet in the groove he experienced in the final five games of 2017, but the 49ers still put up 30 points. The ceiling for the offense will be extremely high when he rediscovers his rhythm.
Breida breathes life into running game
The 49ers didn’t have too much success on the ground in the opener, but Matt Breida, with the help of Alfred Morris, proved the running game can thrive without Jerick McKinnon. Breida continually gashed the Lions as he enjoyed a career day by running for 138 yards and a touchdown on just 11 carries.
His 66-yard touchdown in the end proved the decisive score and was just reward for a display in which tackle-breaking ability, speed and elusiveness were all on show.
Breida and Morris are good enough to be an effective one-two punch but the former must surely feel he has done enough to be considered the lead runner in San Francisco’s two-man backfield. Facing the Chiefs’ porous defense in Week 3, he has another good opportunity to press his case on the horizon.