49ers’ win has George Kittle dancing, but will ongoing injuries end the music? (paywall) “Yes, it came against the NFL’s 30th-ranked run defense. But it was reminiscent of Shanahan’s vaunted ground game
that ranked fourth in the league in rushing from 2017-24. Kittle termed the drive “sick.” Shanahan said he considered calling a play-action pass in mid-drive before saying, “Screw it, we’ll just keep running it.”
“I feel like the running game is our bread and butter,” left tackle Trent Williams said. “When Kyle senses the blood in the water, you know it because you see the runs coming back-to-back-to-back. We ran the same play back-to-back on that drive. It’s like, OK. We get it. Kyle is basically saying, ‘Y’all keep doing what y’all doing. Yeah, they can’t stop y’all.’”
49ers can’t get too high despite handling Giants, as injury strikes yet again (paywall)
“The 49ers’ coaches won’t like that Bethune and his mates couldn’t put away Dart and a weaponless Giants offense late in the game. Nearly half of New York’s total yards — and two of its three touchdowns — came on a pair of fourth-quarter drives.
Still, the busts that were prevalent against the Texans were kept to a minimum Sunday. And after the initial drive, the defense had good energy despite being on the longest trip of the schedule and a second straight 10 a.m. body-clock kickoff.
“We definitely did better,” said Shanahan, who noted he’s giving his players their first “victory Monday” of the year this week. “
Kawakami: The Mac Jones revelation — the 49ers have 2 winning QBs (paywall)
“And very importantly, Jones hasn’t ever acted like he was owed anything since arriving as a free agent — four years after Shanahan almost selected him with the third overall pick in the draft. And he’s never offered even a glancing indication that he intends to usurp Purdy.
I’ve been around a lot of veteran backups. The ones who win games as a sub then don’t immediately start plotting to take over are the rarest.
Jones probably is comfortable knowing that he likely will be a starting QB elsewhere next season (he’s signed with the 49ers for another season, but they could get something good for him in a trade next offseason). And he and the 49ers just want to make the most of this season right now.“
49ers Notebook: MetLife turf strikes again; Clelin Ferrell returns with a heavy heart; George Kittle, KPop Demon Hunters fan?
“Ferrell was also affected by the injury to Williams, who had made an impression on him in a very short time.
“Oh my gosh, because he’s just someone who’s such a good dude, a good spirit, and he loves football, anytime you see somebody like that, me being his teammate and just how much he cares about the game, it was a quiet moment on the field,” Ferrell said. “But he’ll be good for sure.”
Ferrell added, “Mykel, he’s somebody who’s obviously just very attentive and likes to ask questions. That’s something that’s very rare in a young player because a lot of times you just want to show the older guys that you’ve got it already. But he’s someone who has no hidden agenda. He’s just a sponge, so that’s the kind of thing that made me get drawn to him, for sure.”“
