That San Francisco loss to Atlanta? Yeah, it’s gonna be stewing in Santa Clara for a full two weeks, because Kyle Shanahan just confirmed the 49ers players won’t be back on the field until next Monday after their bye. They just wrapped up all their meetings and workouts today and tomorrow, then they’re gone until the following week. Good, let ’em think about it. Especially since Christian McCaffrey himself told reporters his leg “just died” on him during the game, a “mild hamstring strain” that left him “trying to get it going for the whole rest of the game,” admitting it “sucks trying to play like that.” He *says* he’ll be all right, but the question is, will he even be back after the bye?
Offensive Line Crumbles, McCaffrey Limps
It’s not just McCaffrey’s hamstring that was hobbling their offense. Their offensive line flat out failed them. Colby, their offensive lineman, had a brutal day, allowing a game-high five pressures. His pass-blocking grade was a pathetic 45.4, the absolute lowest among all offensive linemen in the game. Even worse, his overall offensive grade was only 45.7, again, the lowest among all his O-line teammates. You can’t protect the quarterback or open up running lanes with numbers like that. When your star running back is literally telling you his leg “just died” and struggling through the game, it’s a massive red flag.
Defensive Line Lays an Egg, Secondary Still Struggling
And if you thought the offense was bad, get a load of their defense. The group that apparently “punched above its weight class all season” finally “came back down to earth” against Atlanta. We’ve heard how spoiled they were by defensive tackles controlling games, but that was nowhere to be found this time. Gracen Halton was completely invisible, a first for him. Sebastian Valdez’s only stat on the day was a missed tackle. Osa Odighizuwa somehow managed to have the same pass-rush win rate as Kyle Shanahan himself, which must have been why Shanahan “tore him a new one” on the sideline after Odighizuwa jumped offside on a critical 4th and 4, gifting Atlanta a fresh set of downs. Rookie James Thompson was the most active with a pressure and two run stops, but even he had a penalty that kept Atlanta moving. The edge rushers like Romello Height (38 snaps), Keion White (35), and Mykel Williams (31) all played heavy minutes but somehow delivered zero tackles for loss as a group. Mykel missed a pair of tackles and only had one pressure. Keion had two pressures, and Romello had zero. While Height and Williams did get some run stops and apparently “bottled up” Bijan Robinson to just one 10+ yard run, the defensive line still “moved off the ball more than usual.” Robinson still managed 19 yards before contact, and Khalil Herbert got four yards on two carries. “Bottled up” seems generous when the line was clearly out of sync and giving up free yards. The secondary struggles apparently continued too, though the source doesn’t detail their specific woes beyond that.
So, they’ve got a bye week to figure out what happened, especially with McCaffrey’s injury and that defense looking like they hit a wall. Will they come back ready to go next Monday? Or will these issues just keep festering? We’ll be watching, that’s for sure.
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.
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