Seconds earlier than the San Francisco 49ers scored their first landing Monday evening, ESPN analyst Troy Aikman used his telestrator to attract a yellow circle round vast receiver Mike Evans.
Evans did not rating. However he was a cause tight finish George Kittle did. Evans, on the skin left, ran a crossing path to the again of the top zone, attracting two Commanders defenders, which allowed Kittle, within the left slot, to simply exploit a mismatch: Kittle received behind linebacker Kain Medrano for his 11-yard snag within the left nook.
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Seconds earlier than the 49ers scored their second landing, Aikman, once more, drew a circle round Evans. It was Third-and-goal on the 1-yard line. Aikman was alerting viewers: Evans has scored 32 profession touchdowns from contained in the 5-yard line, together with 10 1-yard scores.
Evans did not rating. However was his deep red-zone historical past a cause working again Christian McCaffrey wasn’t touched on his landing?
The 49ers’ 23-17 win over the Commanders was an enchanting illustration of the affect a participant comparable to Evans can have. Not solely on his personal staff’s success, but additionally on an opponent’s technique.
Evans performed 22 snaps earlier than he was pressured to go away with Achilles tendinitis shortly earlier than halftime. The 49ers averaged 9.3 yards per play with Evans on the sphere. On the 38 snaps Evans was off the sphere: 4.5 yards per play.
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In the meantime, blitz-happy Commanders defensive coordinator Daronte Jones was conservative when Evans was within the recreation. Within the first half, Washington blitzed quarterback Brock Purdy on eight of his 24 dropbacks (33%), blitzing simply twice when Evans was on the sphere. Within the second half, Jones blitzed Purdy on seven of his 10 dropbacks (70%), twice sending two further defenders.
Was Kittle shocked by the dearth of first-half strain?
“That is an ideal query,” Kittle mentioned. “I’d say I used to be shocked that they did not blitz as a lot within the first half. After which once they did it within the second half, we simply did not have a solution for it.”
The 49ers did not have a solution partly as a result of they did not have Evans, who, at 6-foot-5 and 231 kilos, is a QB’s finest good friend when underneath strain.
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“It is virtually like when a good finish is matched up on a smaller DB,” Purdy mentioned final week. “And , ‘I simply received to get the ball on this man’s neighborhood, and he’ll go up and get it.’ I undoubtedly really feel that with him.”
Purdy did not have something resembling the identical feeling along with his 4 remaining wholesome wideouts within the second half Monday. And that impressed Jones to maintain sending greater than 4 rushers, forcing Purdy to make fast selections with some mixture of Brandin Cooks, Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowing and Malik Turner on the sphere. Purdy has focused that quartet with 13 passes this season (Evans has 39 targets).
The 49ers’ closing three drives included two sacks, no first downs and seven web yards. On the 5 snaps on which Purdy was blitzed he was 0 for two, dropped for 2 sacks and had a 6-yard scramble.
With simply over eight minutes left, on 2nd-and-4, proper sort out Colton McKivitz seemed inside to choose up blitzing linebacker Sonny Types. The issue: Nobody blocked left defensive finish Odafe Oweh, who wasn’t touched earlier than dropping Purdy for a 6-yard sack. On the subsequent snap, Purdy rushed a throw to McCaffrey regardless of having a clear pocket. McCaffrey simply turned his head because the incompletion sailed previous him.
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“Due to the strain Washington’s been capable of get on him on the final couple possessions,” Aikman mentioned, “he turns it unfastened early.”
Purdy will doubtless be with out Evans on Sunday when the 49ers go to Atlanta, and his different prime wideouts – Deebo Samuel, Demarcus Robinson and De’Zhaun Stribling – will stay sidelined.
As soon as Evans exited, Jones started blitzing an offense with a barren vast receiver corps. Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was presumably taking notes.
• One of many greatest questions main as much as Sunday’s recreation: What’s the standing of Upton Stout’s proper shoulder?
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The second-year slot nook was pressured to go away after his shoulder damage was aggravated when he was blocked by tight finish Ben Sinnott. After Stout grabbed at his shoulder with about 10 minutes left, he was changed by Ashtyn Davis. And the dropoff was steep.
Davis performed 14 snaps. He missed two tackles, together with a whiff on QB Jayden Daniels when he was unblocked on a blitz. Davis was additionally in protection on vast receiver Treylon Burks’ 30-yard reception, and he grabbed the again of wideout Antonio Williams’ jersey, drawing an unlawful contact penalty that worn out a sack, on a 4th-and-8 play.
Davis, 30, had solely performed particular groups within the season’s first 5 video games. He is listed as a security. Why did he change Stout as an alternative of shifting exterior cornerback Deommodore Lenoir inside, the place he has in depth expertise, and changing Lenoir with Jack Jones?
Head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated Davis had acquired extra of the first-team apply work at nickel again with Stout restricted with a shoulder damage he suffered in Week 4.
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“We put (Lenoir) there lots, however he did not get as most of the reps,” Shanahan mentioned. “Then it is a chain response (to maneuver Lenoir), so we thought Ashtyn may step it up and go in there and do his job. I assumed he did a very good job at it.”
However he did not. Davis had the bottom Professional Soccer Focus grade (27.7) of any 49ers defender. If Stout is unavailable in opposition to Atlanta, it will qualify as a shock if Davis was given one other shot.
• Rookie move rusher Romello Peak had three tackles, 4 quarterback hits and cut up the game-sealing sack with Keion White that did not permit Daniels to heave a Hail Mary.
Not dangerous. And never even near a mirrored image of Peak’s affect.
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The stat sheet did not embrace that the third-round decide additionally drew two holding penalties as a move rusher and had the fourth-down sack that was negated by Davis’ penalty on Washington’s penultimate drive.
“It appeared like he was everywhere,” Shanahan mentioned.
Within the first quarter, proper sort out Josh Conerly was flagged for holding Peak. It arrange a 2nd-and-17, which led to a punt two performs later. Within the third quarter, left sort out Brandon Coleman held Peak. It arrange a 2nd-and-14, which led to a punt two performs later.
• Shanahan seemed to be managing Evans’ snap rely. Till he stopped.
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After Evans performed 14 of 26 snaps on the 49ers’ first 4 drives, he performed eight of the primary 9 snaps on their fifth possession, being pressured to go away after he’d performed eight straight snaps.
Shortly earlier than Evans limped to the locker room, he was on all fours on the sphere, as if doing a pushup, in an try to stretch out his aching Achilles throughout a Washington timeout.
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This text initially revealed at 49ers recreation overview: Mike Evans impact makes WR a weapon even when not focused.
