It was fitting that, in a season defined by the 49ers’ ability to overcome injury adversity, they were forced to produce one of their best offensive performances of the season in a must-win game without
two of their most important players on that side of the ball.
On paper, losing Trent Williams to a hamstring injury after the opening play from scrimmage — an interception returned for a touchdown — should have been a fatal blow for an offense that started the game minus George Kittle because of an ankle problem.
Instead, the 49er offense thrived, scoring over 40 points for the third time in six games in a remarkable shootout that may well go down as the game of the year. The success of the San Francisco attack ensured a 42-38 victory that means the 49ers are a win over the Seattle Seahawks away from the one seed in the NFC.
The 49ers racked up 200 yards on the ground and 296 through the air in another stunning display of their offensive firepower, with their prolific performance owing much to a hugely impressive display from the O-Line, with Williams’ backup Austen Pleasants delivering an extremely admirable showing.
Pleasants, who joined the 49ers late last season amid their injury crisis, gave up only two pressures, one of which was a sack by Austin Booker in the second quarter, providing surprisingly solid play at the left tackle spot, albeit against a pass rush that has consistently struggled throughout the season.
The performance of the 2020 undrafted free agent drew significant praise from head coach Kyle Shanahan and quarterback Purdy.
“I mean, to play that whole game and to not be an issue, I think I only talked about him on one third down. So, my sense is he played really well,” Shanahan said.
Purdy added of Pleasants:
“He did amazing. Obviously to have Trent go down the first play it’s like, ‘dang.’ Then Austen jumped right in. He’s a guy that we all love and over the year he’s just been great in our locker room and just one of the boys on the bus, like everyone loves him. He’s done a great job just being ready all year. So, for him to go in and play well, like he did, and allow our offense to keep rolling and not lose a step, it was huge. So, we all got his back and he’s going to keep getting better too.”
Pleasants’ impressive showing on short notice in a massive spot is just the latest success story for offensive line coach Chris Foerster, who has had an impressive year with right tackle Colton McKivitz developing into one of the better right tackles in game in his third full season at the position and Dominick Puni continuing to make strides at right guard. Puni has allowed only one sack in 632 pass block snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
Of course, the fact Purdy was only sacked once on Sunday was in part a product of his ability to maneuver in the pocket and escape pressure by extending plays outside of structure.
Yet, for a team that has famously eschewed investing premium resources in the offensive line, Pleasants’ impressive showing was another victory for the 49ers’ ability to develop offensive line talent.
And, with Williams’ status for Week 18 against the Seattle Seahawks in doubt, it could be crucial for the 49ers that Pleasants repeats the feat.
“He tried to go and he couldn’t,” Shanahan said of Williams’ injury. “So Trent told me he has never pulled a hamstring before, so not really sure how it will be.”
The 49ers will obviously hope a few days rest allows Williams to feature in Week 18 with the NFC’s first-round bye on the line. Yet, after this latest win for their coaching staff on the offensive line, they can at least have hope they can survive against Seattle without him,
