WHEN was the last time it was so much pure unadulterated non-stressful fun to watch a 49er game? We're not talking about nail-biting excitement, pressure-packed situations, dramatic comebacks, or improbable last-minute wins. It's been a long time since we saw a 49er team "roll out" with such power, control, and dominance over a 60-minute period. facing a decent, if flawed, team (and what 2019 NFL team outside Foxboro isn't flawed?) in prime time. With plenty of opportunity to do a frustrating national-TV face-plant, the San Francisco 49ers instead put on a clinic titled "This is what we do!" And they did it well indeed-- a "reveal", as MNF announcer Joe Tessitore had it.
The 49ers ran the ball, 275 yards' worth, with Matt Breida, Tevin Coleman, and, later, Raheem Mostert. Breida's sensational, explosive 83-yard touchdown run on the Niners' first play from scrimmage set the tone for the game. They ran the ball 40 times, used 37 of the game's 60 minutes for their 69 offensive plays, and consistently crushed the Browns' talented front seven with effective blocks and traps. Kyle Shanahan even dusted off the old tight-end reverse, a favorite of Bill Walsh back in the day, and George Kittle rumbled for 18 big first-quarter yards. Offensive lineman love run-blocking, and the Niners' frontmen showed it all night.
40 runs against 29 passes pretty much guarantees a good night for your quarterback, and Jimmy Garoppolo was generally solid and effective. His touchdown pass to Kittle was a thing of beauty, as was a quick-slant fourth-quarter shot to Dante Pettis in full stride that would have been a touchdown had Pettis remembered to catch the ball. Now and then we see Jimmy G showing signs of "happy feet," and short-arming the ball; there's reason to be concerned about what a determined pass rush in a close game might do to him and to this offense. But thanks to coach Shanahan, the O-line, and secret-weapon fullback Kyle Juszczyk, the game was not close over the last three quarters.
"The Wreck of the New 97": Nick Bosa's game was phenomenal. Not since Bryant Young have the 49ers drafted a top-ten pick who had this much immediate impact on the team. Young Bosa was unstoppable on the pass rush, and the twin towers of DeForrest Buckner and Arik Armstead had Baker Mayfield looking for daylight every time he dropped back. The unsinkable Richard Sherman, whom we've come to appreciate more and more now that he's put on a proper uniform, benefited from an early jailbreak attack by the DL: his second interception of the season, after none at all a year ago. The secondary played well, as most do when a murderous pass rush is on, and K'Waun Williams made the heads-up play of the game, grabbing a bobbled pass at the 49er one-yard line and denying Cleveland their best chance to score the touchdown they never got.
One of the 49ers' many lightning-fast players, Richie James, supplied the lone special-teams highlight with a nifty 32-yard punt return. But when a normally-reliable kicker like Robbie Gould misses two field goals and has a third blocked, you know the special-teams coach will have some 'splainin' to do this morning. All three of the failed kicks looked "off" from the moment of the snap; Gould's first attempt sounded-- splat-- like he'd kicked a rotten watermelon. He finally made his fourth try, to a sarcastic, if generally affectionate, standing ovation from the crowd already deep into celebration mode. Yes, they picked a good night to screw up. No, we don't want 'em doing it again.
And we await with trepidation the MRI results on Kyle Juszczyk's knee. It didn't look too bad when he went down, nor did he look especially hobbled as he left the field, but a ride on the cart is never a comforting sight. The team will need him against the Rams Sunday, because without that smash-mouth running game, Nick Bosa may end up taking a back seat to Aaron Donald-- and there's no way that scenario ends well for our Undefeateds.
