The 49ers didn't always have the best of it but are coming home with a 2-0 record after a 30-23 win over the Rams. Even with a win, there's always time for overreactions.
The San Francisco 49ers have had a tendency to start slow in the head coach Kyle Shanahan era, and they were navigating a tricky schedule with two road games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Rams to open up the 2023 season.
But the Niners navigated some tricky waters and will be returning home with a 2-0 record.
The 49ers didn't always have it in the bag, but they overcame a plucky Rams outfit 30-23 to get the win amid a short turnaround as they prepare to host the New York Giants on Thursday night in Week 3.
Read More: 49ers survive Brock Purdy overthrows, defensive woes to beat Rams in Week 2
For now, it's time to overreact to the game, if for nothing else than it being mandatory for people to overreact to events in the first parts of the season.
So, if you want overreaction and hysteria, you've come to the right place.
Overreaction No. 1: Brock Purdy needs to work on his touch
For a quarterback who's been renowned for his ability to shred defenses with pinpoint precision and uncanny calm under pressure for a young quarterback, the one thing Brock Purdy will look on with regret is his inability to hit the deep ball when it was available.
By no means did Purdy play awful, but his 17-of-25 passing for 206 yards would have looked a lot prettier if he hadn't left some yards (and points) on the field with a few shots down the field that overshot his receivers.
On the plus side for Purdy, it's encouraging he was willing and able to launch the ball downfield after coming back from elbow surgery.
But still, maybe just work on that downfield accuracy just a touch.
Overreaction No. 2: The color yellow is soon going to cause 49ers fans to go into a fetal position
So many flags. So. Many. Flags.
The Niners are good in a lot of facets all over the football field, and we should be very thankful for that. That doesn't change the absolute pain it is to see penalty after penalty get called on the team on both offense and defense.
It's hard to pinpoint anything for it other than a lack of discipline, given the flags are for so many different things. Six penalties don't feel like a lot on the day, but it was more how they kept stonewalling drives for San Francisco while extending drives for the Rams.
At the end of the day, discipline is going to trump everything. All the talent in the world won't help if a team can't sustain drives on offense or stop drives on defense.
Luckily, it hasn't become a catastrophic issue yet, and San Francisco is still 2-0, but please clean it up. Especially those personal fouls, there's just no excuse to have a lack of awareness and hurt your team by driving a player into the turf or delivering a crackback block.
I fear if the flags don't stop coming, the Bay Area is going to declare war on the color yellow.
If penalties cost a game, it may just happen.
Overreaction No. 3: 49ers defensive line held in check, needs some momentum
One disappointing aspect of the game was that the much-vaunted 49ers defensive line failed to put consistent pressure on Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, which in turn allowed him to find his receivers regularly.
While there were good plays from time to time, and they were by no means overrun, it was a relatively disappointing performance from a defensive front that combined for five sacks in Week 1 and had a good record overwhelming the Rams.
EDGE Nick Bosa has shown glimpses but otherwise has not been able to recapture his 2022 form yet, EDGE Drake Jackson did not follow up his performance last week, which netted three sacks, and the team needed help with blitz schemes to put up consistent pressure.
Want your voice heard? Niner Noise is looking for paid contributors to help produce content for the 2023 season. Submit your profile to FanSided today!
Time to press the panic button? Well, not quite.
The Rams went with very quick routes, designed to push for consistent gains rather than looking deep. When Stafford did hold onto the ball, the 49ers' pass rush did fine to pressure him even if the defensive line went sackless (the one sack went to linebacker Fred Warner).
On the plus side, the defensive line got help for a change instead of shouldering the load in the passing game, with two interceptions from the 49ers doing the job and sealing the win.