1) Jeff Wilson Jr.
The 49ers must have seen something on film that enabled Kyle Shanahan to attack New England's 31st ranked rushing defense (DVOA). Wilson ran extremely well, gaining long chunk plays and finishing shorter runs for quality 4+ yard runs. Wilson gashed New England over and over and finished with 112 yards and three touchdowns.
This was terrific scouting by Shanahan.
2) Another inspired performance by the defense
Fred Warner continues to show why he is the best middle linebacker in the game. Finishing with seven tackles and an interception, he harassed running backs, Cam Newton, and even Julian Edelman all day.
The secondary came up with three interceptions and made life miserable for the New England quarterbacks.
We saw pressure from Javon Kinlaw, D.J. Jones, and a handful of quality plays from most of the team. Emmanuel Moseley and Jamar Taylor each had interceptions as well, with Taylor snagging two of them.
Just a great performance all the way around.
3) The offensive line got the job done
Finishing with 197 yards on the ground, the ground game had plenty of room to run. The offensive line clearly got the job done.
We'll see tomorrow when the official pressure numbers come out, but other than penalties, the offensive line was great today.
4) Jimmy Garoppolo had a good day
We all wish Jimmy Garoppolo had the big fantasy football numbers, but other than a poor throw that resulted in a first half interception and a Hail Mary interception to end the half, he was very good today.
Yes, the 49ers ran the ball a lot, which is also what we all wanted, but when he had to make plays, Garoppolo played very well, finishing 20-25 for 277 yards.
I don't care about the stats. I don't care that the 49ers got four rushing touchdowns and Jimmy did not have a touchdown pass. The 49ers dominated this game and that's all that matters.
Extra Points
- Brandon Aiyuk had a big day, finishing with six catches for 115 yards, including a long ball. He is turning into a very good young prospect.
- Jason Verrett had another solid day. It is so good to see him playing well.
- Kevin Givens and Dre Greenlaw came up with sacks today but there was a little more pressure today. The defense needs to keep that up.
- The offense had 467 yards of total offense.
- Deebo Samuel hurt his hamstring in the fourth quarter. We will see what is said tomorrow.
- Jeff Wilson Jr. was carted off in the second half. Hopefully he is ok.
Next up, the Seattle Seahawks. Keep the faith! Lots of season left.