San Francisco 49ers: Week 13 position grades and analysis from win over Bears
By Peter Panacy
Special Teams/Coaching
Head coach Kyle Shanahan had to dial back his playbook a bit for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. But Niners receivers were still getting open, so that’s a plus.
And unlike previous weeks, we didn’t see any 49ers defensive linemen in coverage. There’s a plus for defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
As for special teams? Well, there are positives and negatives there.
Special Teams
On one hand, kicker Robbie Gould converted all five of his field-goal attempts — all of the Niners offense — including the game winner with four seconds left.
Special teams gets a boost there, but this same unit did allow a 61-yard touchdown return by Bears returner Tarik Cohen:
Cohen nearly had another 60-plus-yard return late in the fourth quarter, but it was negated by an illegal block in the back by Bears tight end Ben Braunecker.
Interestingly enough, Braunecker’s block was behind the play. Had he not committed the foul, Cohen’s return likely stands.
Grade: C-
Coaching
We finally got to see what Shanahan’s offense could look like with an effective quarterback under center. Shanahan’s receivers have been getting open, for the most part, all season. Only the Niners QBs prior to Jimmy Garoppolo haven’t been able to regularly find them.
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Even with a simplified playbook, Shanahan put Garoppolo into a position to succeed. And that’s what good head coaches should do.
It would have been nice to see San Francisco execute with more effectiveness in the red zone — 0-of-5 on the day. And another eight penalties for 53 yards don’t help matters either.
But at least the Niners had a solid effort on defense and stuck to their game plan here.
Wins usually make coaches look smart.
Next: Jimmy Garoppolo flashes poise, promise in 49ers starting debut