In week 12 of the NFL season, the San Francisco 49ers defeated the New Orleans Saints 13-0. The San Francisco defense held the Saints to zero points, which is fantastic, but the 49ers offense struggled. The offense was only able to score one touchdown against the Saints, which will need to improve moving forward. San Francisco now has a 7-4 record leading the NFC West, but what went wrong with the 49ers offense against the Saints?
49ers Offense: The Offensive Line
The Saints may not have the best record in the NFL, but that does not define their defense. The New Orleans’ defensive line put constant pressure on San Francisco’s offensive line. The Saints may have only sacked 49ers quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo one time, but put constant pressure on him. The only reason there were not as many sacks is the way Garoppolo was able to throw the ball away before taking the hit.
San Francisco’s offensive line has not done as poorly as in recent years but will need to improve moving forward. The offensive line put Garoppolo under too much pressure throughout the game. This gave the quarterback a short time to go through his reads, causing the 49ers offense to only score 13 points, in what should have been more. The 49ers will face the Miami Dolphins next weekend, who also have a strong defense. The Dolphins have 25 sacks this season, according to ESPN. The 49ers’ offensive line will need to evaluate their mistakes before moving forward.
49ers Offense: Jimmy Garoppolo
With the 49ers offensive line unable to hold off the Saints defense, more pressure was put on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. In this game, Garoppolo completed 26 passes out of 37 for 222 yards and one touchdown, according to ESPN. While a lot can be blamed on the offensive line, this was still not one of Garoppolo’s top games.
The quarterback was fortunate to not throw an interception early in the second half, due to a penalty against the Saints that occurred before the pass was made. While it did not count, and what is done is done, the 49ers got lucky. Garoppolo will have to be careful of this, especially with a track record of throwing interceptions. This season Garoppolo has thrown a total of four interceptions, according to Pro Football Reference. The quarterback will look to keep that number low moving forward with this 49ers offense.
There was another missed throw early in the game to running back Christian McCaffrey. The ball was overthrown on a sideline, with what could have been a beautiful play for a potential touchdown. If Garoppolo can work harder on his accuracy when throwing the ball in front of his receivers, this 49ers offense can be unstoppable.
It is important to note Garoppolo was under pressure almost every snap. While the throws need to be more accurate, the quarterback was hit hard and often and the team is fortunate he walked away with no serious injuries. Garoppolo expressed his frustrations about how late he was getting hit throughout the game, according to 49ers reporter David Lombardi of The Athletic.
Jimmy Garoppolo wasn’t happy with Saints DL Malcolm Roach, whose hit nearly injured his knee.
“That wasn’t the only hit that was questionable,” Garoppolo said.
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) November 28, 2022
Only one late hit was called against the Saints when Garoppolo faced a hard tackle to the knee by Saints defensive lineman Malcolm Roach.
49ers Offense: Injuries
The San Francisco 49ers are no stranger to injuries. Going into the game, wide receiver Deebo Samuel was questionable with a hamstring injury. Luckily, the receiver was able to play but did have to play through a quad contusion. Samuel went down late in the second quarter of the game but was able to stay in the game. It can be wondered if the team did not utilize him as much as they would have if he were fully healthy.
Another player injury that occurred during the game was to running back Elijah Mitchell. Mitchell was not seen in the second half after suffering a knee injury. Mitchell has only been back three weeks after suffering an MCL injury in week one, and it seems as though he will be missing even more time. The 49ers offense will need to rely on McCaffrey more than they planned. They will also need to hope for the best from rookie running backs Jordan Mason and Ty Davis-Price. McCaffrey also faced some irritation in his knee but was able to play through it.
What really hurts this 49ers offense is the injury to second-year offensive lineman, Spencer Burford who suffered an ankle injury during the game. With the offensive line already not playing well, Burford’s injury is tough. The lineman has not allowed a sack this season, and the 49ers offense will hope the sprain does not keep him out too long.
49ers Offense: Penalties
The 49ers offense was hit with many penalties this game. The defense also drew flags many times as well. This is something the team will need to be more disciplined with, as it forced the team to lose out on big offensive plays. Instead, the team had to face multiple third and longs throughout the game, which put them at a heavy disadvantage.
The team is also coming off of a short week, playing in Mexico for Monday Night Football, and having Thanksgiving this week as well. This could also be a factor in why it was a slow day for the 49ers offense.
The San Francisco 49ers will face the Miami Dolphins next weekend in hopes to continue their win streak. Hopefully, for the team, the 49ers offense will be able to play their best and utilize all their offensive weapons.
For more NFL and NCAA content:
Check out my most recent 49ers’ article on the Deebo Samuel hamstring injury. Also, check out my most recent NFL Underestimated Player Spotlight. Read here for my most recent article on the Rutgers football loss on Saturday here.
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