49ers-Rams Recap: How Good Can This 49ers Team Be?

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2:32Second down here for Purdy. He is in the shotgun. He takes the snap. He's got a good pocket. Now he's going to escape it out to the right. Throw on the run. End zone! Debo brought it down! He throws the ball way into the stands with another touchdown! 49ers! What a try! That is Brock Purdy to Debo Samuel. Everything old is new again. The San Francisco 49ers went to Australia, and they beat down the super team. I am stunned right now. Thank you to everyone joining us live on YouTube after the game. Thank you to everyone listening to us as a podcast break down one of the early upsets of the year.

3:17And I know there are only three-and-a-half-point upsets, but they beat the Rams 27 to 7 on Friday morning into afternoon in Australia. Thursday night for us, Nick Shook is joining me from the Chris Wesseling podcast studio. And we're going to get to what went wrong for the Rams because this was a humbling night. But we should start with a throwback performance by this 49ers team. And I say throwback because Dre Greenlaw wasn't on this team a year ago. Fred Warner wasn't on the field a year ago. You have Brock Purdy running around and playing really well. George Kittle is back from his Achilles.

3:55It all comes together. And they were just the toughest team. They kind of stuffed Sean McVay's super squad in the locker, and they got out of there quickly.

4:05Nick Shook:Yeah, and I think that Fred Warner is probably the best example of what it looks like when a premier player had to miss time due to injury and cannot possibly wait to get back on the field because he was playing with his hair on fire from the start. and really set the tone physically on the defensive side. It seemed like every time a pass was completed or a Rams runner just got up to the second level, they were getting blasted by multiple defenders. The Niners looked like the more energetic team. They looked like the more passionate and driven team, the team that wanted it more. And then as the game progressed, their superiority in terms of strategy, maybe a little bit of rest versus travel, all started to show and they run away with one.

4:47Nick Shook:And Brock Purdy overcomes an early interception to throw a few dimes, including that last one that we just played. And overall, the Niners, like you said, stuffed them in a locker. They won the physical battle against a team that was supposed to have a defense that was just so intimidating up front that no offense could do anything against them. Kyle Shanahan scheming up a fantastic drive that really set the tone of 15-play scoring drive as well. And at the end, yeah, I mean, this is, like you said, a humbling experience for the Rams. The Rams waved the white flag. There was a sequence, and we might as well listen to it because we love having everyone join us after these games for the calls and the highlights and our analysis.

5:31So let's go to the sequence that set up that last kind of finishing touchdown by the 49ers. It is a fourth down play where Pukunakua just catches a pass that looks like he scored, but he turns out he's about six inches short. The 49ers are only, quote unquote, up 10 points. They had just come out with a great drive to start the second half. The Rams decide to call a QB sneak for Matthew Stafford. Let's listen.

6:28You mentioned Warner, who's just in the middle of everything. And there was a shot there of Sean McVay just looking like he regretted everything here. If you're watching it, it's like, maybe I should have gotten to Australia earlier. Man, I'm going to be sick of people asking me questions about that. maybe I shouldn't call a sneak for a guy in Matthew Stafford who had a rough night, who is famously bad at QB sneaks, and that's why he hasn't had a rushing touchdown or barely any rushing yards for about four or five years now.

7:07Nick Shook:It felt like there was only one period in this game in which the Rams were comfortable and it was on their touchdown drive that ended in a Kyron Williams five-yard touchdown run. It was a four-play, 57-yard drive really sprung by the Puganukua completion from Matthew Stafford, his best throw of the day. And really his only highlight throw of the day. This offense looked uncomfortable throughout, felt like McVay never really got into a situation where he could get into his bag like Kyle Shanahan did. And that moment right there, I think captured it perfectly with that stare that we just showed that that still image where he's just like, what?

7:38Nick Shook:I can't believe that didn't work. Like, are you telling me? He really didn't get across the goal line and credit to the officials because it was a massive humanity that we could not see through. We absolutely could not see through the mass of humanity to try to figure out where the ball was. And yet, the Niners then go 99 yards and finish off after that. And that's the thing. The Niners offense picked up steam throughout the game. And up front, look, the Rams could run the ball in this game. The problem was protecting Matthew Stafford. It was night and day thinking about the 49ers pass rush last year to the 49ers pass rush in this game, now that they had Nick Bosa.

8:15But before we kind of get into the nitty gritty of like how this all went down, I do want to think big picture about everything we saw out of the 49ers. Because if you had told their fans a couple of weeks ago. OK, week one. Nick Bosa is out there after basically not practicing in team drills the entire offseason. He's got juice. Tackle for loss. QB hit on the first play. I watched him closely. Yeah, he didn't win every snap. He wasn't full Bosa, but he was out there. He was a factor. Odigizua, their big pickup, a bunch of different pressures. Their defensive line won the battle as pass rushers.

8:56Debo Samuel looked like he had some serious juice. Christian McCaffrey, who missed so much time with injuries, looked like he had juice. But you know what was even better, Shook? That Kyle Shanahan trusted Caelan Black to have more snaps and touches than Christian McCaffrey in the first half. And as much juice as Christian McCaffrey had, I think Kalen Black had even more juice in terms of running the ball. He looked awesome. Oh, by the way, Mike Evans, who missed a lot of time with injury, ton of juice. Warner, we talked about, looked like, you know, you forget that he was even hurt last year.

9:31And Dre Greenlaw's out there flying around. For this all to happen in week one, and George Kittle is the last name on that list, and to do it in a winning, like they didn't even need to win this game If they had just competed and all those things had happened and those guys look healthy, I would have viewed it as a win. Instead, it's like, OK, I guess we shouldn't have been so negative about the 49ers offseason and camp because this was an absolute statement victory by this team.

9:58Nick Shook:It's such a funny example of how I hate to use this term because I think it's overused, but it applies here. Culture. Culture can win you football in the face of some adversity. The adversity being the fact that you're playing in Australia and the fact that you have had a number of injuries throughout camp that have held you back in certain areas. And yet this is a team. This is an organization that is very accustomed to fighting through such adversity and producing. And yes, it's all the usual suspects for the most part. It's Purdy. It's Kittle. It's McCaffrey. It's, you know, new guys, Mike Evans.

10:31Nick Shook:But it's also the new additions, like you said, of Kalen Black. And let's give a big tip of the cap to Raheem Morris and what he had his defense doing tonight. Because we talked about it during this week, how we were worried about that defensive line and that pass rush. Also, Diggy Zua made a huge difference up there. You knew you had Nick Bosa out there. I was tracking his play percentages and everything else. The whole unit just played so cohesively and aggressively. They were not worried about sending pressure and then, you know, potentially having some weaknesses in the secondary. They just felt like, you know what, let's disrupt this Rams offense as we can.

11:02Nick Shook:They did it early. They did it often. And what it all came together was a team that has been here before and knows how to win in these situations, and they did. And this is a battle that's gone back and forth. Kyle Shanahan has the overall edge, but Sean McVay has had the edge lately in the matchup. But this was reminding me of the matchups from five or six years ago when it was the team that was too tough for the Rams. Now, it was a really well-coached game on a few levels, but they were also just tougher. And Evans had six catches. Like, the numbers weren't crazy. He does get a touchdown, like a classic Mike Evans fade in the end zone to score.

11:44Heck, we have that touchdown. Let's listen to Mike Evans' first touchdown as a San Francisco 49er. Purdy's under center. He takes. He wants Evans. He just puts it up. Give it to Mike. Mike's got it. He pulled it in for his first touchdown. Down 49ers, Mike Evans. And that is big on big.

12:04Nick Shook:And it was tight coverage from Jalen Watson on Mike Evans. Brock Purdy could not put that in a better spot. That's awesome because it's Evans doing what he does. It's the two free agent pickups. And what? He only had 49 yards in this game on six catches. How many first downs? I'm trying to find it here. I think it was five. On that first drive, he had two. And they were both on third down. I think every one of his catches, except maybe one, was a first down. He had three in the first drive of the game first downs. Like, immediately the dividends, where he's kind of in this Juwan Jennings role as like, I'm going to move the chains for you, is really incredible to think about.

12:46And Purdy, as you mentioned, like after that early interception, I think did a great job settling down, taking what the defense gave him. It was a lot of short stuff. It was a lot of great coaching, but also running in the second half when the Rams defense looked a little gassed.

13:00Nick Shook:Yeah, and it was the offensive creativity on the part of Kyle Shanahan, I think, was pretty clear from the get-go. Putting Evans in the slot, getting him to run the outs against Quentin Lake and winning that physical battle, converting those third downs to keep that long drive going, going to Evans for the fade because you know that's exactly where he is. by the way um career touchdown number 37 from less five yards or less away from the line 37 only one guy has more in in who's currently active uh davante adams still has like a six touchdown lead on him to the two guys that you associate with back shoulder fades and fades in the end zone in general um and you know i think that it also was really easy to identify in the way that they prepared for this defense in that they neutralized miles garrett miles Garrett was not involved in, I mean, he may have had some pressures.

13:52Nick Shook:I haven't looked at the next-gen stats numbers yet, but he did not get a stat. He didn't record a tackle. Only the fourth time in 135 career games in which he did not record a tackle, Myles Garrett. So the big off-season addition doesn't even end up in the stat sheet despite being out there because they accounted for him, whether it was chipping with a number of different players. It was Kittle. I think it was Tungus at one point. Tungus actually left on getting injured while trying to block Myles Garrett. It was McCaffrey and then Trent Williams one-on-one, just kind of, you know, standing his ground, letting Garrett run the hoop, getting the ball out quickly.

14:24Nick Shook:The approach was just masterful for what the Rams were bringing to the table defensively. And I thought that Shanahan really out-coached Chris Shula, which is a big reason why they were able to, I think, hang in this game early and at least demonstrate that, hey, we know that you're the talk of the offseason, but we belong here, and then finish the game off in the second half. It's a huge win because it's a road win. The Rams volunteered to take this game as a home game, even though they were the team that didn't show up until the last second. They've been going for these marketing rights in Asia, in Australia.

14:56They wanted to be the home team, so they gave up a home game. And now the 49ers are essentially up a game and a half in the division because you have the tiebreaker, and they're going to have to return the favor of the Rams, that is, when they go to Santa Clara. I believe that game is in December. Obviously, these teams are going to be different then. Myles Garrett listed his five pressures from NGS, which seems crazy to me. He did not get a QB hit, though. That is very rare that he doesn't get a QB hit, a sack, or a tackle, as you mentioned. That never happens. And I don't think it was because he just, like, doesn't have the juice.

15:29There was a pass rush in the fourth quarter where he got inside Trent Williams so fast, and Connor Colby came over, too, and he knifed through, and Purdy just got rid of the ball quickly. And so, like, he had a win or two. But for the most part, Trent Williams' performance was special. And Kyle Shanahan's game plan was special. It was screen, screen, behind the line of scrimmage, quick stuff. And Chris Shula wasn't really doing that much. He was like kind of waiting for his guys to win. And they weren't. And sometimes, you know, they're playing safe coverage like quarters. And Demarcus Robinson runs right through it.

16:10You're shaking your head. That was another big moment and a big-time throw by Purdy.

16:14Nick Shook:Yeah, I had a ton of issues with the way that the Rams approached this game defensively in the first half, whether it was Evans converting to third downs, because I've been keying on Myles Garrett immediately, especially they move him away from Trent Williams' side on that first drive and try to get him against the right tackle and see if that's more of an advantage. And I'm watching him out of the snap, and he's looking like Myles Garrett, but the ball is out so quick that it doesn't matter. And so I'm saying out loud as I'm watching it here, you need to start jamming these receivers. Press coverage.

16:39Nick Shook:Get aggressive. Do something to interrupt the flow of this because they're just getting the ball out too quickly. And then the backbreaker to me was the DeMarcus Robinson touchdown against quarters. Like the old joke is like, what? You can't beat quarters over the top. Well, they beat quarters over the top. Of course he can, though. Cam Kitchens is keeping his eyes on the backfield 25, 30 yards downfield and letting Robinson run right behind him. Revenge game, DeMarcus Robinson in a big spot. And it was because the 49ers are injured. Heck, let's listen to that Demarcus Robinson touchdown because that actually was the longest throw in terms of air yards for a touchdown in Brock Purdy's entire career.

17:20So we might as well give him some props. Let's watch it. Purdy, in a sense, two receivers right. He sends Black out in the formation. Steps back. He's going to go for a deep shot. He's going to go for all. He finds the man in the end zone.

17:34Touchdown, Niners. And it's the former Los Angeles Ram, Demarcus Robinson, in the painting red 49ers end zone at the far end of the MCG that has 100 ,000 Aussies on their feet and a lead for San Francisco. This is what we expected a little bit more of from these two quarterbacks. Top 10 guys, an MVP, a guy who very much deserves his place on quarterback island. Thank you very much. They waited far too long to put him on there. I'm looking at you, Rodri. I'm looking at you, Greg Rosenthal, but you made the right decision in getting him on there. Wow, QB Island with an international shout out. That is our friend Will Gavin, of course, on Talk Sport.

18:17Look, Will, we would have put you on the show for sure. Those pipes are incredible, even if you didn't shout us out. But thank you for doing that. What a great live call there. And yeah, it was a reminder, I think, of how Purdy is so perfect for this offense. Yes, he can execute what Kyle Shanahan does, but he also adds a little bit extra with the running, with the extra plays. And it was just a great performance by the two of them. It's all about Purdy and Shanahan.

18:44Nick Shook:Yeah, and he did a little bit of everything this game. He did have a long scramble, but the beauty of that play itself is that Purdy's under center. He takes a seven-step classic drop back, something that you feel like you haven't seen since the late 80s, and steps up and just fires a beautiful strike to Demarcus Robinson, giving Will Gavin the best man in sports at describing the setting in which a player scores a touchdown that is the end zone, the opportunity to call a touchdown for the 49ers and give us a shout out as well. That's a great moment for him to be calling this game because I forgot he's a 49ers fan.

19:21All right, let's move off the 49ers. We're almost giving them too much attention here because this was the super team in the Rams that lost and it wasn't all good for the 49ers. We should point out, Dijon Stribling left this game on a cart. It looked serious. They're calling it an ankle injury. The 49ers have gotten criticized for how they handled injured players. I mean, he was hurt early in this game and then went back out there and got hurt again. I think you can question them allowing him to do that. Jake Tonjes, who's a very good tight end, really their primary tight end tonight before he went down with an injury, left with a knee injury too.

19:58And so we don't know how severe that is going to be for all the players that came back before we get off the 49ers. I thought George Kittle kind of did like look the rustiest. He didn't, he didn't look like he necessarily had the juice when he was out. I saw him fall like once or twice and like going out on routes, like he got back from that Achilles quickly. We'll see. He had some really good blocks and he's going to be important for them. Let's talk about the Rams. Like what I'll ask you just what aspect of the team we kind of went over Garrett and the game plan, how they neutralized him. So take him off the board.

20:32What aspect of the team, the operation, the players, like disappointed you the most from this, from this no show, frankly. I mean, to get beat this bad, it's a pretty big no show from this team.

20:46Nick Shook:I kind of felt like the way that McVay's offense operated in this game was kind of like when you watch somebody who's just picking random plays in Madden. And that's not to like knock on him and his approach, but the running game's working early and then the Niners adjust and they get stonewalled a couple of times. And then they're just like late to adjust. Stafford always looked frazzled. His, and another thing that I didn't like about this Rams performance was the fact that I felt like Stafford's arm lacked a little bit of zip. The interception that he threw down the right sideline, he like left it.

21:21Nick Shook:He hung it up in too far to the outside, which left it out there to get picked off. and there was just a lot of disjointed action from this offense which you don't usually see from the Rams. And a lot of credit goes to Raheem Morris, but it kind of felt like I was watching a team that maybe wasn't quite as prepared or as willing to adjust quickly to the situation as the Niners were. Okay. I mean, did he look a little like a 38-year-old man? Yeah, he did. Especially when he went under pressure. He really did. I mean, let's hold the airplane talk for now, because they did something similar and absolutely boat raced the Jaguars last year.

22:03I want to give Sean McVay and the Rams, they're going to be annoyed anyone's asking. Let's take them at their word that that wasn't that big of a factor. They just got dog walked. So that is a bigger problem. That's worse. Right, that really is worse. And I don't buy that it has no effect, but there's no way for us to really know. Stafford was off all night. He missed Puka on a deep shot on his first deep throw by about 20 yards. I thought, oh, that's weird. He skies one over Devontae Adams' head. He starts against pressure in the first half, one for seven with an interception. And it wasn't all quick wins.