49ers must correct these things to beat Eagles in NFC Championship

49ers Special teams: Protect the ball and don’t risk it for a few extra yards

We don’t need to go into too much detail about the past in order to protect against the opening of old wounds, but 49ers fans everywhere would have been exceptionally panicked when a punt return went horribly wrong in a playoff game yet again.

Ray-Ray McCloud has had a very solid season in his first year as a Niner, but he was guilty of some poor ball protection when a return attempt popped out at a crucial time in the game as he struggled for extra yardage.

Dallas scored on the ensuing drive but luckily failed to take full advantage, but it was a sobering experience, to say the least as 49ers fans wondered if this was a bad omen.

To McCloud’s credit, he redeemed himself with an exceptionally good kickoff return immediately after, so it wasn’t all bad news for him for the game.

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It’s a pretty simplistic lesson to take into the next game, however. A few extra yards are all well and good, but sometimes it’s fine to take a fair catch as well if you aren’t completely clear to return it. Dallas didn’t have the offense to take advantage of that situation, but the Eagles definitely do.

McCloud remains an important cog in the offense and the return game, but he just has to also make sure he plays smart for every snap he’s in. The urge to make a big play is an overpowering one, but sometimes cooler heads need to prevail, too.