Niner Noise
FanSided

Rams vs. 49ers: 5 Reasons San Francisco Wins in Week 1

By Peter Panacy

January 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers kicker Phil Dawson (9) is congratulated after kicking the game-winning field goal during overtime against the St. Louis Rams at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Rams 19-16. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers kicker Phil Dawson (9) is congratulated after kicking the game-winning field goal during overtime against the St. Louis Rams at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Rams 19-16. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next
Hyde 49ers
Sep 14, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde (28) dives for a touchdown with a block from quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) against the Minnesota Vikings during the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 1: RB Carlos Hyde Has a Repeat of Week 1 Last Year

A year ago on Monday Night Football, running back Carlos Hyde rumbled for 168 yards and two touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings.

Yes, Week 1 contests can be a bit of an anomaly. Hyde never replicated that sort of effort again in 2015. And a foot injury ended up being the big story for Hyde’s would-be breakout year.

Hyde is slimmer though. And he is also cleared to play following a concussion he suffered during the preseason.

Speaking of the preseason, head coach Chip Kelly’s squad led the league with 737 yards. This was nearly 100 yards more than the second place Tennessee Titans (644). While preseason stats don’t tell us much, this number does indicate Kelly will feature his rushing attack early and often.

This means a lot of Hyde.

Los Angeles was in the middle of the pack in average rush yards allowed per carry last year (4.0). Factoring in Hyde’s elusiveness rating, per Pro Football Focus, one can see why Hyde might have a repeat of his performance a year ago.

PFF’s Dan Schneier wrote:

"He forced 35 missed tackles on 126 total touches — this time getting more involved in the passing game — and compiled a 2.83 Yco/Att average. There wasn’t a single running back who finished with more carries and a higher elusive rating than Hyde, and of all the running backs with at least 50 carries, only Marshawn Lynch bested him."

More from Niner Noise

So it’s perfectly logical to suggest Hyde looks more like the runner we saw against the Vikings and not the injury-prone ball-carrier who never got up to the same speed over the rest of 2015.

And with Kelly operating his uptempo approach, Los Angeles won’t have the time to rest its defense enough to track down Hyde.

Look for this to be the primary reason behind a San Francisco Week 1 victory.

Next: Rams vs. 49ers: 5 Matchups to Watch for San Francisco

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of ESPN.com, Pro-Football-Reference.com and Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated.