The 49ers are 3-0, and the record looks every bit as strong as it sounds. San Francisco has rolled through the Rams, the Dolphins and the Cardinals, even if that first win came against a Los Angeles team that has been one of the league’s biggest disappointments and the second and third came against opponents some viewed as contenders for the No. 1 pick before the season.
But the unbeaten start hasn’t erased every concern. A few players are watching their value slip even while the wins keep piling up.
De’Vondre Greenlaw is one of the names that stands out most. Since being signed, he still hasn’t matched expectations, and the missed tackles have started to pile up - three in three weeks.
His Week 3 outing ended early, and after briefly returning for one play, he was sidelined again. San Francisco needs more steadiness beside Fred Warner, and it hasn’t gotten it yet.
The defensive front has also been shakier than the 49ers probably hoped. They were expected to have Alfred Collins, CJ West, James Thompson and Gracen Halton available up front this year, but Week 3 didn’t go that way.
Collins, West and Thompson all missed the game, while Halton exited early because of cramps. Osa Odighizuwa remains the leader there, but the group behind him was Sebastian Valdez, Naquan Jones and Kevin Givens.
That wasn’t enough.
Jones, in particular, had a rough stretch when he was asked to fill in for Renardo Green and Deommodore Lenoir. He logged 23 coverage snaps and gave up four catches for 53 yards to Michael Wilson.
Wilson is an ascending threat, but the 49ers brought Jones in because they believed he could be a starting-caliber player. If they can’t trust him when Green and Lenoir are out, that’s a problem.
At tight end, the situation around Farrell has grown harder to ignore. The 49ers tried to use him early, but his snap count has fallen every week.
He played 46 snaps in Week 1, then dropped to 28, and against the Cardinals he was down to just 18. What makes that even more notable is that San Francisco is getting thinner at receiver, yet still doesn’t have a backup tight end ready to step in.
Evans’ stock is sliding for a different reason: availability. He played 75% of the team’s snaps in Week 1, then the team eased him down to 54% in Week 2 because of a nagging injury.
In Week 3, he lasted just 18 snaps and played only 33% of the game before leaving. He is expected to miss some time.
For a 34-year-old receiver coming off two injury-riddled seasons, this is playing out exactly how it looked on paper.
In Other News...
Deebo Samuel Just Had One Of The Strangest Stat Lines Ever
Deebo Samuel delivered one of the oddest box-score quirks youll ever see in the 49ers win over the Cardinals, turning an 80-yard hook-and-ladder into a touchdown without officially catching a pass. It was the kind of play that reminded everyone how uniquely dangerous San Francisco can be when Samuel is lined up all over the field and the ball starts moving side to side.
Even stranger, the output came with a bit of history attached. Samuel finished with the most receiving yards in an NFL game without a reception, topping a mark that had stood since 1961, and he added two rushing attempts for 14 yards. For a player whose value often comes from his versatility, this was a rare line that fit the eye test, the highlight reel and the record book all at once. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Win Came With A Bigger Brock Purdy Concern
The 49ers got the result they needed Sunday, outlasting the Cardinals 36-30 in a game that had plenty of familiar San Francisco fingerprints on it. Brock Purdy handled the offense well despite the injury issues around him, George Kittle delivered a pair of touchdowns, Christian McCaffrey found the end zone on the ground, and Fred Warner again set the tone on defense with 17 tackles.
Still, the win came with the kind of discomfort that can linger beyond the final score. Mike Evans exited with a rib strain, Trent Williams was among the key injuries affecting the passing game, and Dre Greenlaw also left with a quad issue, leaving the 49ers to sort through what Sunday cost them as much as what it gave them. For a team that keeps finding ways to win, the bigger question now is how long it can keep doing it while pieces keep dropping out. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Win Came With A Bigger Concern Fans Could Feel
The 49ers got off to a fast start Sunday with a hook-and-ladder touchdown involving Deebo Samuel and Mike Evans, then kept stacking points even as the game started to turn into something more uneasy. Christian McCaffrey added a touchdown of his own, and the defense mixed in stops while the Cardinals found enough offense to stay around the fight, leaving San Francisco ahead at halftime with the kind of lead that can still feel fragile.
What made the win feel bigger than the scoreboard was the injury picture developing around it. Deommodore Lenoir and Mike Evans were among the players who dealt with issues, and for a team trying to build rhythm while scoring in spurts and trading field goals, the concern was impossible to ignore. The 49ers walked into the locker room with control of the game, but also with the kind of health questions that can linger long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]