Some good actually came out of the 49ers’ 11-10 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday night.
Such as:
1. The punters got some well-deserved national recognition;
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2. A lot of people woke up Monday morning feeling rested and ready for the week after a game that was conducive to dozing off early;
3. There was no shortage of fodder for our weekly 49ers Overreactions feature.
So before we step out the back of the end zone, let's get this thing going . . .
Overreaction? Yes.
The 49ers should not be 1-2 heading into their Week 4 showdown against the Los Angeles Rams. Of course.
But, if you recall, the club was 3-5 a year ago before Jimmy Garoppolo started playing well and the club turned it around with some impressive victories.
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Coincidentally, it was a Monday night game against the Rams that gave the 49ers some life a year ago.
The main reason that the season is not over for the 49ers is their defense. Granted, they have not exactly lined up against offensive powerhouses, but the 49ers’ defense is good — very good.
That defense will keep the 49ers in every game. Now, it’s up to Kyle Shanahan and Garoppolo to figure it out on the offensive side.
Overreaction? Yes, but …
The Broncos were called for holding on a third-and-9 play from the 49ers’ 39. So, it would have been third-and-19 from the 49.
Instead, Shanahan opted to decline the penalty and accept Russell Wilson’s 2-yard gain to the 37.
That meant the Broncos trotted out kicker Brandon McManus for a 55-yard field goal — obviously, well within his range.
Afterward, Shanahan said the analytics fed into his ear suggested it was 50-50 whether to decline the penalty.
At the time, we here at Overreactions Central had little problem with it. We’ve seen so many times when long third downs are converted because of a ticky-tack penalty. And the odds are greater with a quarterback such as Wilson, who can keep a play alive and coax a 5-yard defensive holding penalty and an automatic first down.
So there are two schools of thought: 1) It’s a win against Wilson to have the Broncos settle for a field goal; or 2) Have faith in the defense to keep points off the board.
In a way, the decision to decline the penalty did show faith in the defense, in the sense that, “OK, we’ll let you have a chance for three points now because we don’t think you’ll get many more of those chances the rest of the way.”
We would not label the decision as “complete cowardice” because it’s reasonable to assume Shanahan believed the offense would not be held out of the end zone for the remainder of the game, too.
Overreaction? No.
Let’s see, the 49ers lost D.J. Jones and Laken Tomlinson as free agents. Those are two pretty good players.
But, yes, their biggest loss was offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, a quirky, outside-the-box thinker. Over many years, McDaniel provided Shanahan with all the assistance and materials he required to piece together game plans and, often, dial up the right play at the right time.
It is impossible to quantify the loss of McDaniel for Shanahan and the 49ers’ offense. But, obviously, things are different.
Meanwhile, McDaniel has gotten off to a great start as head coach of the Miami Dolphins. His team has beaten New England, Baltimore and Buffalo, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been exceptional.
(It should be noted, however, the Dolphins are averaging a very un-McDaniel-like 3.3 yards per rushing attempt.)
Overreaction? Yes.
Yes, there are plenty of reasons for frustration, as it pertains to his play and lack of noticeable improvements (as outlined here), but the 49ers are fortunate they were able to retain him as their No. 2.
He’s not one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and he’s not one of the worst. He is solidly somewhere in the middle.
Overreaction? No.
The 49ers became so reliant on Deebo Samuel last season to camouflage some of their blemishes on offense.
We’re not criticizing that decision because it worked. The 49ers needed to expand Samuel’s role because of the challenges the team faced with injuries in their running game.
Samuel was super-productive as a wide receiver at the beginning of last season. And he has not approached that level of play since his midseason transition to “wide back.”
Samuel has one rushing touchdown and a 51-yard gain this season on a play in which Trey Lance misread the defense and mistakingly handed the ball to him.
Take that long run away, and Samuel is averaging 3.75 yards per rushing attempt.
“We're not surprising anybody, that's for sure,” Shanahan said on Monday. “But I still believe if on a number of those plays if we can execute the blocks just a little bit better, I think Deebo's got a good chance to get a big one and that's why you get those opportunities because he's the best guy on our team that has the chance to get the big one.”
Overreaction? No.
It’s always sensible to not get too far ahead of yourself.
The opinion here is that Lance is the future of the franchise, and nothing — OK, almost nothing — can happen this season to change that.
Overreaction? Yes.
C’mon, dude, overreactions cleanse the soul.
Get with the program.