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How often in the Kyle Shanahan era could we say the 49ers weren’t built to win a shootout?
At least for one week, the tables are turned.
Mike Evans will not suit up which means Brock Purdy will be missing all of his top six receivers.
A hobbled Evans will have extra time to rest with the bye week on the horizon.
At 6-0, the 49ers have the margin for error to play it safe this week.
But if they want to take their perfect record into their bye — then they’re going to have to find another way to win.
That starts and ends with Raheem Morris’ game plan against his former employer.
But even if Morris’ unit pitches a shutout, Shanahan will have to find a way to do something he wasn’t able to last week as San Francisco escaped with a 23-17 win over the Commanders:
Move the ball and put points on the board without Evans.
The two games that Evans has left early with injuries have simultaneously been the 49ers’ closest calls to spoiling their unbeaten beginning to the season. They went up 23-6 shortly after Evans left with broken ribs in Week 3 only to barely hang on to beat the Cardinals 36-30. Last week, they nearly allowed a 23-3 advantage to evaporate once Evans left the game.
If plus-minus was a football stat, Evans would be right near the top of the league leaders.
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A full game without their undisputed top receiver could be too much to overcome.
That is, unless the 49ers’ remaining crew of castaways and never-beens has something to say about it. If anybody has the ability to scheme open an overmatched receiver, it’s Shanahan.
“Maybe he’s not calling all the ones he’d call for Mike Evans, but we’re still calling plays,” said tight end George Kittle, who will probably act as Purdy’s top option. “I think we’re on our fifth or sixth wide receiver. I don’t really find that as an excuse. I think our wide receivers are more than capable of running the plays that Coach Shanahan has called for us.”
It will be a challenge to run the ball against Jeff Ulbrich’s defense, which has limited its first six opponents to a paltry 3.6 yards per carry, sixth-best in the NFL. But the 49ers’ personnel situation will make it difficult to take advantage of a porous pass defense that has allowed the fifth-most air yards in the NFL (252 per game).
Evans played only 25 snaps before leaving the game last week, but he still hauled in as many passes (three) for more yards (94) than the 49ers’ next three receivers — Brandin Cooks, Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing — who combined to play 94 snaps.
It’s no wonder why the 49ers couldn’t move the sticks in the second half against Washington. Evans has been on the receiving end of 25 of the 49ers’ 68 first-down conversions through the air, almost twice as many as their next pass-catcher, Kittle, with 13.
Purdy has been the league’s best quarterback so far this season, despite losing receivers by the week. He’s proven he can operate even with Kittle at less than full strength, and the 49ers have made it this far without leaning too hard on Christian McCaffrey.
The one weapon they haven’t been able to play without is Evans.
He might just be the most important of them all.
Marquee matchup: 49ers’ defensive line vs. RB Bijan Robinson
The Bears showcased one method for eliminating the Falcons’ best weapon last week. They jumped out to an early lead and Robinson went on to touch the ball only 11 times. With the shape the 49ers’ offense is in, that might be a tall task. It will fall on their defensive line’s shoulders to contain arguably the NFL’s most efficient and explosive runner. Robinson is averaging 5.8 yards per carry, second in the NFL, and has 15 runs of 10 or more yards, fourth-most in the league. His average 2.9 yards before contact is fourth among NFL running backs. The 49ers, on the other hand, have yielded the fewest big gains on the ground (four runs of 10-plus yards) while limiting opponents to 3.9 yards per attempt (7th). “He’s as tough as it gets,” said defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, who also happened to be Robinson’s head coach the past two seasons. “You’ve got to keep him behind line of scrimmage. You’ve got to swarm tackle this guy. You’ve got to get him on the ground.”
Key stat: 19-13
49ers’ record under Kyle Shanahan in 10 a.m. PT starts. This is their first of only two East Coast trips this season. The Falcons are 0-3 inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
