49ers’ preseason win over Chiefs highlights offensive line problems
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers managed to pull off a late win over the Chiefs in Week 1 of the preseason. But the Niners offensive line was a major issue for San Francisco. Is this what head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. can expect in 2017?
On paper, the majority of numbers from the San Francisco 49ers’ 27-17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 of the preseason would suggest good things for head coach Kyle Shanahan and a revamped Niners roster.
The team staged a late comeback in the fourth quarter and saw some notable production from rookies like defensive end Solomon Thomas, running back Joe Williams and quarterback C.J. Beathard.
Aside from a slew of penalties — 17 for 131 yards — another major issue revealed itself during the contest: San Francisco’s offensive line.
San Francisco 49ers
Some of those penalties did fall on the O-line, including two false starts on rookie undrafted free agent John Flynn.
Flynn is a long shot to make the 53-man roster, but his issues are only a small part of the problem.
From the beginning, this unit looked overworked by Kansas City’s defensive front. Generally speaking, the Niners performed much better in pass protection than run support. Still, San Francisco gave up three sacks and seven quarterback hits over the course of the contest.
Not all of these can be attributed to the O-line — two sacks of Beathard were a direct result of the quarterback holding onto the ball too long — but the lack of prowess up front could be a major issue moving forward.
Niners Wire’s Rob Lowder elaborated further after the game:
"The offensive line gets all it can handle in training camp from the 49ers’ talented defensive front. It was tough to discern whether the line was struggling or the defense was just that good.After Friday, it would seem the former was the case. Each unit of the line struggled to pass protect and create running lanes. The Chiefs’ defense was able to rack up three sacks and a handful of pressures.The 49ers brought in a host of free agent reinforcements to the line this offseason. Shanahan’s highly-touted scheme will be rendered useless if the line cannot form an effective starting group."
Granted, Shanahan used the exhibition contest to rotate a number of players at different positions, cross training players to give as much versatility as possible.
Still, enough players struggled, including likely starters. Right tackle Trent Brown’s run-blocking abilities weren’t too sharp. And the guard positions all but eliminated clear inside running lanes.
This could remain a problem with second-year guard, Joshua Garnett (knee), out for at least a month.
It’s important to remember the Niners finished dead last in run support last year, according to Football Outsiders. While there have been some changes to this group, it’s starting to look as if the same issues will persist.
Perhaps general manager John Lynch combs the roster-cut wire after the preseason for some options here, although it’s going to take time working in any new bodies into a complex scheme.
Next: Good, bad & ugly from 49ers' preseason win over Chiefs
Regardless, last night’s game showed why the O-line is likely going to be a high priority to address this coming offseason.