Kawakami: Inside the 49ers’ ‘Bang’ play that shook the Eagles (paywall)
“I’m just thinking get the ball, execute, tuck the ball away, make the defense think I’m running it,” Jennings said. “And I saw Christian get open.”
McCaffrey slow-rolled past the line of scrimmage, then burst past Eagles safety Reed Blankenship, who was caught in the middle of trying to come up to tackle Jennings and protect against McCaffrey going by. He chose incorrectly.
Would it have been hard to play it safe and throw it away
if McCaffrey wasn’t open, Jauan?
“Not hard at all, man,” Jennings said. “I love my job.”
Jennings didn’t get to watch McCaffrey make the catch, though — he got blasted by defensive tackle Jalen Carter as he released the ball.
Hey, wait, who was supposed to keep the passer safe on that play? Was it Purdy, who was the closest potential blocker to Carter? No, Shanahan probably didn’t want his QB anywhere near Carter, but afterwards, Purdy was wondering.
“I was on the edge, sorta blocking, sorta not playing, and then I look back and see JJ get hit,” Purdy said. “I was, like, dang, dude, should I have done something about that?’”
Barrows: 49ers’ upset in Philly perfectly reflects gritty season, as The Improbables strike again (paywall)
“As the players moved from one end of the field to the other between the third and fourth quarters, offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak thought it might be a good time to break out a trick play the 49ers call “Skyy Bang Reverse Pass,” because it began with a jet sweep handoff to receiver Skyy Moore. He tossed the ball to one-time quarterback Jauan Jennings, who was moving in the other direction, and Jennings uncorked a deep pass — with the swirling wind making the ball lift and wobble — toward the end zone to McCaffrey.
Jennings, who might be the best basketball player on the 49ers, called it an “and-1” play because he was crushed by Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter after letting go of the pass, leading to a roughing-the-passer penalty.“
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“Even as Kittle was riding to the locker room after his injury, he was clapping and encouraging his teammates to continue battling the Eagles. After recent seasons, the 49ers know what is needed to overcome significant injuries, even to team captains Kittle, Bosa and Warner.”
Hutchinson: The 49ers have nothing left to give, and that’s plenty
“Eric Kendricks and Garrett Wallow were out there playing with the energy of Dre Greenlaw. The defensive line was pretty poor, but there were key moments from Keion White, CJ West and Sam Okuayinonu.
Deommodore Lenoir made up for a pathetic first half. Renardo Green had a few crucial breakups. Upton Stout made a key fourth-down stop.
And then there was Marques Sigle.
I must take a moment to ask this. What on EARTH have the 49ers been doing with Sigle?
Why did Sigle warrant 10 defensive snaps from Week 8 on as the SOLE viable free safety on the roster?
Ji’Ayir Brown had nice run fits, but he excelled more specifically in the box in big nickel situations. He was a liability in coverage, as was Malik Mustapha, because they’re both strong safeties who thrive coming downhill. Mustapha’s been quietly poor in coverage, too.
At the very least, you could have continued using Brown in that big nickel role and gotten Sigle — a promising rookie who the 49ers’ own position coaches RAVED ABOUT to me before the season (see: below) — some snaps at free safety on big nickel snaps.
But they benched him. And he was outstanding in this game. I have not gotten an answer on why he was used how he was, and it remains the most confounding decision of the season for me. We’ll move on.
As for the offense, let me give credit to an offensive line that was mostly woeful in the run game until late, but held up pretty well in pass protection.
A 37-year-old Trent Williams played on a barbecued hamstring, and only showed it a handful of times.
Christian McCaffrey remains outrageous. Kyle Juszczyk came up huge both as a blocker and a receiver. Jauan Jennings is a fighter, and relived his Tennessee glory days as a passer.
I quite enjoyed him losing his mind at Kendrick Bourne, who still doesn’t have a clue what the plays are half the time.“
49ers’ Trent Williams brushes aside ‘huge’ re-injury concerns to play every offensive snap (paywall)
“An Eagles defense that averaged nearly 2.5 sacks per game in the regular season — which ranked among the top half of NFL teams — managed only one against an offensive line anchored by a half-healthy Williams.
Purdy was hit twice after four quarters. By then, Williams realized his hamstring remained: “It was a sigh of relief.”
Courage should not be mistaken for a lack of dread. Williams spoke to the media for the first time since his injury Friday. He understood then what he was getting into, and even acknowledged that Sunday would be “pushing the limits on the time that’s required” for him to fully heal. He also spoke as if there was no other option.
“I mean, he told me (last) Saturday night there was no way he wouldn’t be playing this week,” Shanahan said.“
49ers’ improbable win keyed by unlikely stars, a preposterous play call: ‘Skyy Bang’ (paywall)
“McCaffrey felt like Jennings’ floater was “in the air for 15 seconds.”
“That was a blur,” McCaffrey said. “You know, normally you don’t think about anything during a play, but I felt like I had a lot of time. Not easy for sure, with the wind, but Jauan made a great throw. Glad he threw it.”
Jennings wasn’t initially overjoyed. Asked in the locker room about how he felt after hearing the play call, Jennings got saucer eyes: “I was so scared. Seriously.”
But he was seriously stoked after he became the only wide receiver in NFL history with multiple career playoff passing touchdowns.
“During the play, I felt like I was a quarterback back at Blackman High School,” Jennings said, smiling. “But I snapped back into reality real quick. I’m a receiver.”
