Sometimes even a tremendous defense needs a lift. The San Francisco 49ers offense carried the load Sunday in New Orleans in a very big way. Despite the defense giving up a season-high 46 points, they found a way to win. George Kittle made a monster play on fourth and two and it set up the game-winning Robbie Gould field goal as time expired. The 49ers ended their killer three-game stretch with two wins. Not too shabby.
San Francisco 49ers Offense Comes Up Huge in Week 14 Win
“Jimmy gave me the ball and just let me run with it.” – George Kittle on 4th & 2 play
Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers offense were spectacular Sunday in New Orleans. You could potentially hand out half a dozen game balls based on their play, as it was a team effort. Garoppolo was on fire early and finished the day with 349 passing yards and four touchdowns. His lone interception was a deflection off of Emmanuel Sanders‘ hands. Not his fault. He was great all day long and seems to be more and more comfortable behind center.
Speaking of Emmanuel Sanders, he had himself a game as well. Sanders caught seven passes for 157 yards and a touchdown. If that wasn’t enough, he also completed a 35-yard touchdown pass himself to Raheem Mostert. So yeah, Sanders had a perfect passer rating on the day.
Mostert was big in the running and receiving game again this week, and is really starting to solidify himself as the number two back. He’s become more useful to the offense than Tevin Coleman at this point. He’s more explosive running the ball and makes big plays. He and Matt Breida have become a dynamic one-two punch.
“When one of your best players has the mentality he has, that is everything.” – Kyle Shanahan
All this being said, you can’t really discuss the 49ers offense without talking about George Kittle. The quote above was said about Kittle post-game by head coach Kyle Shanahan. He’s the heartbeat of the 49ers and is a beast catching the ball and blocking. A lot of what makes Kittle elite doesn’t show up in the stats, but it shows up in the film room. He flat out blocks and makes plays all over the field.
Kittle had six catches for 67 yards and a touchdown Sunday, but his play on fourth and two with under a minute to play sums up what he means to the team. He caught the pass and made his man miss. Then, he took off down the sideline, refused to be tackled and despite being face-masked for 20 some yards, he continued to fight for yardage. It was quintessential Kittle and set up the game-winning field goal.
The San Francisco 49ers also got a quality game out of rookie Deebo Samuel. He had 76 yards receiving as well as 33 yards rushing. It included a key 31-yard scamper. He just continues to develop as a player and is a very physical receiver. He’s got good hands and has proven difficult to tackle. Alongside Kendrick Bourne, he is stepping up at the right time and giving Jimmy Garoppolo multiple weapons on offense. Bourne added two touchdowns today.
The 49ers are now 11-2 and will play host to the Atlanta Falcons next week. The Falcons enter the game with a record of 4-9 but have played better recently. It’s another big game as the 49ers are trying to control their own destiny and lock down the NFC West and the number one seed in the NFC. It’s going to be a wild finish.
