Editor’s note: Former 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia, now an NBC Sports Bay Area analyst, will share his thoughts on the team each week throughout the season. This week, he discusses how the 49ers can shock everyone against the Rams, starting with their mindset.
There would be no better way for the 49ers to get past a tough loss in Green Bay than with a good showing Sunday at Levi’s Stadium against the Los Angeles Rams.
The 49ers have been in just about every game this season. What has hurt them more than anything are the turnovers. Turnovers are killing this team. The 49ers are last in the league with a takeaway/giveaway margin of minus-11. When you break it down, that tends to be a major difference-maker in wins and losses.
I’m sure there’s a huge emphasis in practice on protecting the football on offense and trying to take it away on defense. But it really comes down to discipline and focus, especially as a ball-carrier holding onto the football and not putting it on the ground.
It’s also important to remember that not every interception is going to be on the QB. We’ve seen deflected passes and wrong routes that have led to INTs this season. However, late in the game, the emphasis on the QB is critically important to protect the football with his decision making and accuracy, as well as securing the ball in the pocket.
The team played well offensively on Monday night and there was a lot of good to take away. QB C.J. Beathard has shown solid improvement in his game over what he experienced as a rookie. He’s proving to be a more than capable backup with potential to be more than that in this league. Marquise Goodwin’s return to the field brought back that deep threat dimension and explosiveness. The running game was strong with Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert until Breida’s ankle flared up again. It was the last three drives, being able to close out the game, that cost them.
The 49ers are a better team than what their 1-5 record shows. They have been in every game this season. This offense has shown that it’s within them to play good football with a balanced productive attack. They just need to find a way to close out a football game and erase the turnovers.
The defense must improve. They have to eliminate the costly mistakes, the mental errors, the breakdowns in coverage between the secondary and linebackers that have led to explosive plays. They need to formulate a pass rush that pressures poor decisions by QB’s and lost yardage in the backfield. They must be more focused and more wired-in to their responsibilities and know that they have a great challenge ahead of them.
Nobody is expecting the 49ers to beat the LA Rams or even compete with them. That’s why their mindset has to be an “Us vs. The World” mentality. They must bring that energy, that enthusiasm, that youthful spirit and confidence, that mentality that they are going to give it everything they have to beat this football team.
The 49ers are playing at home against the No. 1 offense in the NFL with talent everywhere. They have a great running game led by a beast in Todd Gurley, a very explosive passing game with Jared Goff, who gets good protection from a solid offensive line to throw to a very solid stable of receivers. Defensively, they are 11th ranked, but capable of being as good as any D in the National Football League.
This has to be a full effort contribution by all three aspects of the game in order to have a chance to compete. The 49ers have to control and protect the football on offense, with red zone touchdowns. The defense must find a way to put pressure on Goff, force turnovers, and corral Gurley, which has been a problem for defenses in the NFL. He toasted Denver last week for 208 yards and two touchdowns. Special teams cannot turn the ball over and has to create field advantage.
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At the end of the day, mental errors and turnovers have to be eliminated.
This is the greatest challenge for the 49ers to date. They are facing the only unbeaten and No. 1 ranked team in the NFL. A long standing division rivalry is on the line. This is the next greatest opportunity. They can’t dwell on what’s in the past. They have to learn from their mistakes, improve every single day, and change the direction of this season right.
The time is now.