PLAYOFF RUN IS OVER……..WHAT’S NEXT ?

The 49ers had a chance to win the NFC Championship game against the LA Rams but came up short.

THE BAD

• Jimmy G the last 2 drives of the game, 1-6 for 3 yards, INT. Entire 4^th quarter 3-11 for 36 yards, INT.  This is eerily similar to the 4^th quarter in the Super Bowl 3-9 for 30 yards and INT.  There comes a time in big games the QB has to make a play or two to sustain drives and put a least a FG on the board, Jimmy has consistently proven when needed he doesn’t come through.
• Jimmy G playoff stats: 7 games, 962 yards (137ypg) 4 TD’s 6 INT’s. Under pressure against the Rams 2-10 33 yards, INT. 36-15 as a starter but the NFL isn’t about winning games it’s about winning big games and being good situationally. If the NFL was just about winning games Kirk Cousins would be a Hall of Famer.
• George Kittle was wide open on the 49ers first possession of the game and Jimmy missed him badly. This could’ve put the Rams in a hole very early in a game where points are a premium.
• Offense in the Playoffs – 29 possessions, 4 TD’s….this is horrific and embarrassing.
• Running game had only 50 yards rushing against the Rams as they consistently loaded the box with 8 or 9 defenders and Shanahan continued to call plays to run straight into it for minimal results.
• Shanahan being conservative has cost the 49ers games during the Super Bowl season and this year. When you have a QB that hasn’t taken over playoff games and an offense that isn’t exactly humming you have to take some chances on 4^th & 1 or 4^th & 2 to create some momentum.  Bootlegs with Trey Lance on 4^th and short would’ve been nice to see.
• Shanahan punted 3 times on the Rams side of the field instead of going for it. Rams results – 97 yard TD drive, 46 yard drive that ended in loss of downs and a 63-yard drive that ended in a FG. The 49ers defense was on the field 42 plays in the 1^st half and drives like this for the Rams didn’t do the 49ers defense any favors.
• George Kittle had 1 target after going up 17-7 and Deebo had no targets the last 13 minutes of the game. Meanwhile the Rams continued to feed Cooper Kupp and OBJ.
• In the last 3 postseasons the 49ers this year and the 49ers in the Super Bowl are the only teams to blow 10-point leads going into the 4^th quarter and lose. Instead of doing what got the 49ers the lead and/or taking what the defense gives them Shanahan decides to go conservative putting the defense at risk and therefore loses the game.
• The dropped interception by Jaquiski Tartt was huge but it definitely was not the reason the 49ers lost the game. Tartt has only 1 interception the last 3 years so he’s not a playmaker and the dropped INT is nothing new.

THE GOOD

• By going to the Super Bowl the Rams justified getting Matthew Stafford and adding OBJ and to a lesser extent a washed up Von Miller. By losing this game and Jimmy G coming up short again when needed most the 49ers were justified trading 3 1^st round picks to get Trey Lance.
• The 49ers defense played well the entire playoffs and kept the 49ers in games. The secondary got better as the season went on (it helps that Josh Norman got benched) but the 49ers can really use another good man-to-man CB.
• It’s surprising the 49ers made it to the NFC Championship game considering how this season went. The 49ers fought hard and backed into the playoffs, escaped Dallas with a win, needed Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay to play very poorly to win in Lambeau and had a legitimate chance to beat the Rams and go to the Super Bowl.  No one saw this coming 3 months ago.
• DeMeco Ryans is coming back to the 49ers. He declined a 2^nd interview with the Minnesota Vikings to get more seasoning and experience as a DC.  Good for DeMeco to have enough self-awareness to understand this isn’t a good time professionally to jump into a head coaching position.
• DeMeco is a better DC than Robert Saleh because he had less talent to work with and the defense was still very productive, he was more aggressive and made better adjustments on defense with different players in and out of the lineup especially in the secondary. Saleh wasn’t aggressive and didn’t make adjustments to the defense despite personnel changes…the 49ers would run the same stuff no matter who was in the game.  Defensive gameplans have to suit your personnel.
• Jimmy G’s salary is coming off the books. This money can be used to extend Deebo and Bosa.  Hopefully enough is left over to find a CB and/or an interior offensive lineman because Daniel Brunskill is one of the worst pass blocking lineman in the NFL per PFF (88^th out of 100).
• I would rather lose the NFC Championship game than lose the Super Bowl. A 3rd straight Super Bowl loss stings a lot more in my opinion.
• According to reports Trey Lance has improved a lot since he was drafted. Lance’s raw talent plus maturity and willingness to learn provides good momentum into next season. The Jimmy G / Trey Lance situation could’ve been bad but both men handled it well and the transition went smoothly.
• With Tom Brady retiring and Aaron Rodgers possibly moving to the AFC potentially the Denver Broncos, there will be mostly average to below average QB’s the 49ers would have to go through in the NFC for the right to go to the Super Bowl.
• I’m willing to bet money if healthy, next season Brandon Aiyuk will be a factor on offense at the beginning of the season and have at least 1,000 yards receiving.

Resilient and great are 2 words that are overused in sports today but this 49er team was definitely resilient.  The 49ers were a tough out in the playoffs and as a lifelong fan of the team it was great to see the players continue to fight no matter how bad things got in games and believed they would not only make the playoffs but find a way to win playoff games.

Time to scout the draft and find players that can contribute right away and add to the 49ers depth chart.

My 49er content is exclusively for 49erscap.com.  Follow me on Twitter @peerless1sports.

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Hucklebuck Jones

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