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49ers preseason: 5 takeaways from San Francisco’s loss to Vikings

By Peter Panacy

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - AUGUST 27: C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers passes the ball under pressure by Jaleel Johnson #94 of the Minnesota Vikings during the fourth quarter in the preseason game on August 27, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the 49ers 32-31. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - AUGUST 27: C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers passes the ball under pressure by Jaleel Johnson #94 of the Minnesota Vikings during the fourth quarter in the preseason game on August 27, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the 49ers 32-31. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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KANSAS CITY, MO – AUGUST 11: Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers paces the sidelines during the preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on August 11, 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO – AUGUST 11: Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers paces the sidelines during the preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on August 11, 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

No. 5: Kyle Shanahan’s Playbook Is Dynamic

The 49ers hardly schemed anything during their first two games of the preseason. For the most part, head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense was vanilla and lacking creativity.

It’s a vast difference from the complex offense he runs, although the coach certainly opened things up a bit on Sunday.

Especially in the first quarter.

Quarterback Brian Hoyer connected with wide receiver Marquise Goodwin on a 46-yard touchdown, stemming from a play-action pass. Niner Noise’s Rich Madrid broke this “yankee concept” down over at our friends, 49ers Webzone, and you can see the intricacies of this attack below:

You can see the play in real time here:

https://twitter.com/49ers/status/901961790560526337

This was just one example of Shanahan’s scheme. And scheming is what he does best.

When it works, Shanahan’s offense is one of the top systems in the NFL. It involves a lot of moving parts, so it’s understandable the Niners may not be quite as effective with it right away.

Even more so, San Francisco’s ground game could take some time to develop, as it lacks a lot of the necessary pieces.

Leading to the next topic, run blocking.