The San Francisco 49ers rolled into Week 1 with a new offensive wrinkle that left the Los Angeles Rams flat-footed, featuring “dash” motion on an eye-popping 65.6% of their plays. This isn’t your grandma’s “YAC bros” anymore; we’re talking about a player still moving at the snap, a rate that marks the highest in the Kyle Shanahan era for the Niners.
The “Dash Bros” Are Officially Here, And They Are Annoying
Fullback Kyle Juszczyk was the king of this dash motion against the Rams, going in motion at the snap on over half his plays,17 of 33 snaps, to be exact. No other player was even close, with George Kittle being the next highest on the team. Kittle, never one to mince words, gave the tactic its official nickname: “Dash Bros.” He even admitted, “They’re not my favorite, but they’re very effective. So I just put my pride aside and just do them. I just don’t like cutting and running that much. I like lining up and hitting people in the face. That’s kind of what I do.” Even if Kittle isn’t a fan of the technique personally, it’s clear the effectiveness is undeniable.
This “dash motion” isn’t just for show. Football is a numbers game, and whenever the 49ers used it, they created a +1 or +2 blocking advantage on the side they ran it to. It’s no wonder they averaged over six yards per carry on runs utilizing motion in Week 1. The sheer unpredictability of where the motion player would insert as a blocker kept the Rams guessing all game. Juszczyk blocked the backside defensive end multiple times, but Shanahan’s play-calling sequencing was the real chess match.
Shanahan’s Chess Match Left The Rams Blocking Themselves
The beauty of the 49ers’ scheme in Week 1 was how everything looked the same. For two and a half quarters, Juszczyk worked to one side, causing edge defenders and linebackers to overadjust. Then, late in the third quarter, the change-up hit: Juszczyk went in dash motion into the backfield, only to return to his original side on back-to-back plays. This allowed Deebo Samuel to block the defensive end twice, giving the right side of the offensive line the angles they needed to secure their blocks. Talk about a masterclass in misdirection!
The 49ers mixed their run concepts, running inside zone about 27% of the time, outside zone roughly 37%, and sprinkling in 16.7% man concepts to truly keep the defense off balance. The execution paid off big time, showing better results than essentially any game from last year. Outside zone runs averaged 6.09 yards per carry with a 60% success rate, and man concepts hit 6.6 YPC with a 54.55% success rate. Even into the fourth quarter, with all the dash motion, Juszczyk had yet to insert up the middle to block a linebacker. Sure enough, that’s exactly what he did, springing Christian McCaffrey for a seven-yard gain. This constant motion with multiple insert points forced the Rams to hesitate so much that they actually blocked themselves, leading to the 49ers’ running backs averaging a league-high 2.79 yards before contact in Week 1.
The 49ers are showing a potent early-season form with this new twist. For their next game, the focus will surely be on if opponents can figure out how to counter the “Dash Bros” and their deceptive motion game.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Niners Nation.
Leave a Reply