San Francisco 49ers’ Recipe for Success in 2022 Is Simple: Deebo and D | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
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Deebo Samuel (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The letter of the day in San Francisco is “D” for Deebo Samuel, DeMeco Ryans and dominant defense. All three will continue to serve as the guiding force behind whatever success the 49ers experience this season. The blueprint is simple yet effective.
Ryans’ résumé, in particular, received a significant boost with San Francisco’s 24-9 victory Monday over the rival Los Angeles Rams. But the defensive coordinator had help, which is a common theme to this campaign.
Defensive end Nick Bosa made a prophetic statement in August when asked about unproven quarterback Trey Lance.
“I think he’s in probably the best position you could be in as a first-year quarterback with a defense like us and a good O-line and a bunch of weapons,” Bosa told reporters. “He’s got all the help he needs. … I think if he doesn’t make big mistakes, then we’re going to be in good shape.”
Those same things now apply to Jimmy Garoppolo.
Kyle Shanahan’s squad is very much in the thick of things since all the NFC West squads are 2-2, though technically the Niners lead the group with a 2-0 division record.
Unlike with other teams, however, the quarterback isn’t the focal point. The 49ers have a great defense. The offensive line could be better, but the scheme is tried and true. The skill position players, particularly Samuel, make life easier on all parties.
Samuel’s ability to create after the catch borders on magical. The warlock in shoulder pads concocted 100 yards after the catch on his six receptions and tallied 115 yards.
His 57-yard second-quarter touchdown will be one of the season’s best highlights.
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Deebo just ran by the entire defense! <a href=”https://twitter.com/19problemz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@19problemz</a><br><br>?: <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/LARvsSF?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#LARvsSF</a> on ESPN<br>?: Stream on NFL+ <a href=”https://t.co/keYveuhX3P”>https://t.co/keYveuhX3P</a> <a href=”https://t.co/qDMjV1kbO5″>pic.twitter.com/qDMjV1kbO5</a>
So much to like with this one play. First, he made himself quickly available on 3rd-and-3. Garoppolo threw high with cornerback Derion Kendrick driving on the ball, and Samuel plucked it out of the air. If the play had ended there, Samuel would have done his job very well. But he’s special and morphs into a running back once the ball is in his hands. He forced three missed tackles on his way to the end zone.
During the final frame, Samuel ran a simple wide receiver screen on 3rd-and-13 and turned it into a 29-yard gain.
Garoppolo threw for two air yards on those plays, which resulted in 86 yards.
Garoppolo doesn’t need to push the ball down the field for the San Francisco offense to create chunk plays, especially when the unit’s $71.6 million man becomes involved.
Samuel’s four plays of 50 or more yards since the start of the 2021 campaign are more than 30 of the league’s offenses managed during that span, per CBS Sports’ Doug Clawson. In fact, the 26-year-old’s 699 yards after contact over expected are the most in the NFL since the start of the ’19 season, with no other playing eclipsing 500, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
Get the ball into Samuel’s hands and let him go to work.
On the other side of the ball, the 49ers defense goes to work on every play and tends to get the ball in its hands at some point. San Francisco forced two fourth-quarter turnovers, including a game-sealing, 52-yard pick-six by safety Talanoa Hufanga.
Hufanga is the unit’s newest difference-maker. The second-year player sniffed out the Rams’ plan based on the wide receivers’ releases and turned it into a scoring opportunity.
“You can smell a rat when it comes to those things,” Hufanga told reporters.
It’s clear how the unit flies to the football. It is fast, smart and physical. Hufanga’s nose for the ball creates a completely different dynamic among the group.
“What’s great is that here’s a guy that looks like he’s moving faster than everyone else,” Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott said on Murph and Mac (via the San Jose Mercury News‘ Jerry McDonald). “And what I mean by that is his anticipation of understanding the moment.”
Talanoa Hufanga (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Along the second line, Fred Warner is perhaps the game’s best middle linebacker. How many other linebackers casually carry and cover Cooper Kupp down the seam? Warner is different.
“A true three-down linebacker, can be the quarterback of a complex defense, can blitz, great in coverage, great awareness,” an NFL personnel evaluator told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler this summer. “He’s the safest bet.”
Meanwhile, Dre Greenlaw quietly led the 49ers on Monday with 15 tackles.
Up front, Bosa is a game-wrecker. The descriptor isn’t just a platitude, either. As Pro Football Focus’ John Owning noted, the site credited the two-time Pro Bowler with 14 pressures against a makeshift Rams front five. He leads in the NFL in pressures through four games, according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.
Ryans brings the group together and elevates its play. Going into Monday’s contest, San Francisco already claimed the league’s top-ranked defense.
The Rams managed 257 yards, including 14 receptions for 122 yards from Kupp. Even so, Los Angeles never seemed to threaten the San Francisco defense. The 49ers basically implemented the Jordan rules, letting Kupp get his but not allowing the all-world receiver to beat them by himself.
The 38-year-old Ryans put together an outstanding game plan with well-timed blitzes complemented by discipline in the second and third levels. San Francisco didn’t allow a single play over 18 yards. The Rams averaged 3.2 yards per carry.
San Francisco has been good on defense for some time. During the franchise’s ’19 run to Super Bowl LIV, the 49ers allowed 281.8 yards per contest. Now, they’re even better, surrendering 234.5 yards per game.
The difference lies within Ryans. First, he brings a more aggressive mentality than previous defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
DeMeco Ryans (Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
“I always messed with Saleh because I said I don’t think he’s ever lost a dollar in his life gambling because Saleh doesn’t want to gamble too much,” Shanahan told The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami in June 2021. “I think DeMeco will do that a little bit more. Sometimes there’s a little risk in that, but sometimes there’s some reward also.”
A certain level of respect is also afforded Ryans by his players since he played 10 years in the league, made two Pro Bowls and even earned second-team All-Pro honors once.
“He knows what it takes as a defensive player, he knows what it takes in the league,” cornerback Jason Verrett said last year, per Wagoner. “He’s done a hell of a job getting the guys up front going. It all starts upfront, and then it ends on the back end. … It’s been very relatable for us.”
The saying “defense wins championships” may be cliché, but it’s one way to win. The 49ers will rarely enter a contest with an advantage at the game’s most important position. Instead, Shanahan and Co. can rely on three D’s: Deebo, DeMeco and defense.
Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.
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