San Francisco 49ers: Studs and duds vs. Panthers in Week 8
Stud: Kittle, TE
As mentioned when talking about Garoppolo, the 49ers didn’t need to nor did they pass the ball a great deal on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium. Having said that, when they did, it was going to tight end George Kittle more often than not as he continued to add to what’s been a phenomenal campaign.
While Kittle was once again the victim of a touchdown getting called back due to a penalty, he still paced the 49ers with six catches (on seven targets) for 86 yards. The next leading receiver on the team was newcomer Emmanuel Sanders, who had only 25 yards. It’s clear that this passing offense runs through the tight end and, lucky for Jimmy G and the Niners, they have an elite player manning that spot in Kittle.
Dud: Run Defense
This is another case where context certainly matters. Because the 49ers were able to get out to such a big lead in this game, the Panthers were forced to throw the ball quite a lot. And because of that, the San Francisco defense was thus able to drop back and work to defend against that. At the end of the day, though, the run defense of the Niners did get burned a bit.
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Regardless of the situation, though, you’d like to see that part of the defense be more effective. Though the 49ers dominated the Panthers line, Christian McCaffrey still had a strong day statistically on the ground, going for 117 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. And while the context makes that livable, it’s something for Robert Saleh to keep in mind and potentially address moving forward.