The San Francisco 49ers’ offense struggled mightily in Week 18 against the Seattle Seahawks without star left tackle Trent Williams and their top perimeter threat, Ricky Pearsall.
Christian McCaffrey didn’t
run the ball outside to the left one time. Think about that. A Kyle Shanahan offense, known for its frequent usage of outside zone, couldn’t run what they’re known for against arguably the best defense in the NFL. Shanahan scrapped any wide zone plays. For the first time all season, San Francisco didn’t have a rushing attempt outside of the tackles.
The screen game is something Shanahan has always had a good feel for, especially with timing. On the lone screen pass Shanahan called, backup Austen Pleasants missed the block, allowing the defender to make a tackle. Those are the types of plays William decleats the defensive player or blocks them into the sideline.
It didn’t take long for the 49ers to feel the loss of Pearsall. It wasn’t until the fourth drive that Brock Purdy attempted a pass beyond 10 yards. For the duration of the game, Purdy attempted five passes over 10 yards, and a couple of those came on the fourth-quarter drive that ended in the fourth quarter.
With Pearsall on the field in Week 17, Purdy had 11 attempts over 10 yards and four beyond 20. In Week 16, Purdy had 18 air yard attempts beyond 10 yards and four of 20+.
Pearsall led the 49ers in targets, receptions, and yards on deep passes this season, despite playing only 42.8 percent of the snaps.
The lack of trust in the other wideouts was apparent in Week 18 from Purdy. It led to a sack, and a couple of other dropbacks where you could tell Purdy was unsure.
The two biggest strengths of the Philadelphia Eagles are at cornerback, with Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper Dejean, and along the defensive line, where seven players have at least 20 pressures, and the three who lead the team are all edge rushers.
The question isn’t about which player is better overall or who means more to the 49ers. Ricky would probably tell you himself that the answer is Trent. We’re asking in this one-game sample, which player would have a greater impact against the Eagles?
