The 49ers came out of the bye week with something to prove.
And blowing out a quality Jaguars team — in Jacksonville — left no room for interpretation.
The three-game slide is over. These Niners can still play juggernaut football.
An outstanding performance from the San Francisco offense and defense — the kind of complimentary football coaches pine for — gave the Niners a 34-3 win heading into arguably the most challenging second-half schedule in the league.
They’ll do just fine if they play the remainder of the schedule like that.
STUDS
Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel
It’s incredible what the 49ers offense can do when they have a world-class left tackle and wide receiver.
Suddenly, the offense looks pretty easy.
The Niners could move the ball to the left side without resistance or hesitation — Williams was dominant in all three levels and both phases of the offense.
And with Samuel, the Niners could use the whole field again. Kyle Shanahan foreshadowed how he’d use Samuel early in the contest, when he put Samuel in “orbit” motion three times in a row. The Jacksonville defense had no idea what to do with it.
They never figured it out. Samuel put the Niners up 27-3 in the third quarter with a 23-yard touchdown run.
The lead blocker? Williams.
George Kittle
The People’s Tight End was Brock Purdy’s safety valve on Sunday. Three big catches resulted in 116 yards and a touchdown. It’s difficult to imagine the Niners’ offense being mediocre or poor if Kittle is cooking.
Steve Wilks
I don’t know if being on the field helped or not. I do know the 49ers defense had serious juice on Sunday.
Of course, the 49ers’ defense will look significantly better when the pass rush is winning — everyone up front deserves a game ball — but Wilks helped his defense in three ways:
1. He brought back the tactic of putting linebackers on the line of scrimmage and mixed up the defensive front, including the clever move of starting Javon Kinlaw at defensive end.
2. He played more single-high coverage, bringing Talanoa Hufanga into the mix, allowing him to play his true position — strong-side linebacker
3. He stopped playing Isaiah Oliver in the slot, opting to move Deommodore Lenoir inside, where he is markedly better.
Now, the real trick: staying on top of things.
Brock Purdy
This is the quarterback that Kyle Shanahan wants. Purdy was exceptional on play-action bootlegs Sunday, returning the bread-and-butter pass play to the Niners’ offense.
In a game where the 49ers were pass-first, Purdy’s play — and that play, in particular — was critical.
Were there a few “Jesus-take-the-wheel” moments for Purdy? Absolutely — his first and second touchdown passes were bold throws (and that’s being nice).
But Purdy didn’t turn the ball over, he made smart decisions with the ball, and won when he took risks.
The Niners have enough talent that they don’t need to put the game on the quarterback’s shoulders.
Purdy plays pretty well without that weight.
DUDS
Deommodore Lenoir
Jacksonville targeted the 49ers’ cornerback in both the run and the pass game. It worked out for them far more often than not, even if it didn’t result in points.
Lenoir is a significantly better player in the slot. And while Ambry Thomas isn’t a massive upgrade on the outside, he is an upgrade.
The Niners would be well served to start Thomas outside next week and lock in Lenoir as the team’s nickel corner — and only as a nickel corner.
Colton McKivitz
The Niners’ right tackle was worked over in pass protection in the game’s early goings.
(Can you blame Jacksonville’s defense for slacking once they were down 20-plus?)
On one hand, this is an issue the Niners have dealt with poor right tackle play for years, with Mike McGlinchey manning the position.
On the other hand, it’s not a good thing to maintain McGlinchey-level play.
McKivitz was solid in run blocking, so it wasn’t all bad — but it’s something to keep an eye on moving forward.
The FOX broadcast
I’ve watched a good amount of football in my day — including more low-level college and high school football than I’d ever like to admit.
Sunday’s FOX broadcast was one of the worst-directed games I’ve ever watched. It truly made it difficult to understand what was happening in the game. (So blame that if you disagree with any takes I have here.)
Joe Davis and Daryl “Moose” Johnston were fantastic, as usual, but the camera crew and folks in the truck missed multiple turnovers and left the announcers — and the viewing public — in the lurch. It was an unacceptable performance and I hope the NFL took notice.
