Zachary Engberg
2 min read • November 13, 2022
Posted in
Much like in 2021, the 49ers, 4-4, enter the second half of the season after a disappointing and tumultuous start, but look primed to make a jump as more sidelined starters return out of the bye week.
Wide back Deebo Samuel missed the 49ers’ dominant win over the Rams that featured 28 total touches and a trinity of scores not accomplished in 17 years by Christian McCaffrey.
This will be the first time this season that Kyle Shanahan and Jimmy Garoppolo have the core four offensive weapons of McCaffrey, Samuel, George Kittle, and Brandon Aiyuk, fully healthy, and the offense has an SIC score of 87 this week, a double-digit advantage over the Chargers’ defense.
In the Garoppolo era, when the QB, Kittle, and Samuel all play the full game, the 49ers are 23-7 and average a 27.67 points on 368.2 yards on offense.
The defense, which has the luck of facing an offense without Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, is still missing two starting OLBs, two starting defensive linemen, and two starting cornerbacks, pushing the rush and pass defense scores to 70 and 70.3, respectively, both improvements from Week 8.
Nick Bosa, Charvarius Ward, Jimmie Ward, and Talanoa Hufanga are each another week removed from minor injuries and expected to play. The front-seven will look to exploit an OL that is likely without both starting tackles and has the second-worst rush-blocking PFF grade this year.
The Chargers, 5-3, snuck away from Atlanta with a late after-bye-week win on the backs of Justin Herbert and Austin Ekeler.
With the return of center Corey Linsley and the release of DE Jerry Tillery, Los Angeles will be without nine starters this week, but some of the replacements have proven to be above replacement levels, including left tackle Jamaree Sayer and cornerback Bryce Callahan.
The biggest concern this week will be the Chargers' defense, which has a 79.5 SIC score rushing unit and 82.9 pass score and has given up over 200 rushing yards in each of the last two games.
The worst rushing unit in the league at 5.7 yards per rush has holes at all three levels, but the two major concerns – linebacker and defensive tackle – are positions that Kyle Shanahan and the Niners are known to exploit.
The is on the offensive of side of the ball: left tackle Rashawn Slater, right tackle insert name here, center Corey Linsley, wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, and tightened Donald Parham have all missed multiple games this season and this week will battle a 49ers defense that has major injury concerns of its own.
Herbert, SIC score 93, looks to be nearly recovered from his Week 2 rib cartilage fracture, and has turned out impressive performances as a high-end game manager without his key pass catchers over the last few games.
Ekeler, meanwhile, has followed up his dominant 2021 scoring season with another lights out first half: the stout 27-year-old has 10 total touchdowns in the last five games and has caught seven or more passes for 167 yards in the last three games.
The 49ers are favored by 7.5 points at home and the over/under is 45.5, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
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Written by Zachary Engberg
