The San Francisco 49ers’ Week 1 win over the Los Angeles Rams was the kind of game that leaves very little to nitpick, and the offensive line was a big reason why.
That group has taken plenty of heat from fans, with some treating it like the worst line in the NFL. Week 1 pushed back hard against that idea. The 49ers were sharp in the trenches from start to finish, and the line may have been the most impressive unit on the field.
It showed up first in the run game. Christian McCaffrey and rookie Kaelon Black both ran efficiently, helped along by the way Kyle Shanahan rotated them.
But the bigger story was the space they had to work with. Through Week 1, the 49ers’ running backs led the league in yards before contact per rush at +2.79, a clear sign that the blocking up front was creating real lanes.
The pass protection was just as clean. Brock Purdy wasn’t sacked once against the Rams.
That can sometimes be misleading if a quarterback hangs onto the ball too long, and Purdy has done that over the last two seasons. This time, though, he was quick to get rid of it.
And when he did hold it, the line still held up. The 49ers posted an average time to pressure allowed of nearly three seconds, which is a huge cushion for most quarterbacks.
That kind of work doesn’t come from a shaky offensive line. It comes from a unit that handled both phases of the game at a high level.
One game is one game, and critics will still have their say. But the idea that this line is some bottom-tier problem doesn’t match what showed up against the Rams. The 49ers’ offensive line has been fine, more middle of the pack than anything else, and Week 1 was a strong reminder of that.
In Other News...
Kaepernick Just Reopened A 49ers Era Story Fans Will Remember
Colin Kaepernick is back in the conversation with a new memoir, The Perilous Fight, and the book has already started to reopen one of the most familiar chapters from his 49ers years. Released Sept. 15, the memoir leans into personal stories and reflection, including an anecdote about Taylor Swift and his adoptive mother, while also giving Kaepernick another platform to revisit the larger arc of his career and the fight that followed it.
On a podcast interview the next day, Kaepernick shifted from memoir mode to sharper criticism, taking aim at Patriots owner Robert Kraft over the removal of rapper Macklemore from Ed Sheerans tour. He used the moment to argue that NFL owners work together to protect their interests, while also revisiting his grievance against the league and how his view of owner cooperation has evolved. For 49ers fans, it is another reminder that Kaepernicks story remains as much about the leagues power structure as it is about the quarterback who once defined an era in San Francisco. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Avoid One Levi's Stadium Wrinkle Against The Dolphins
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For a team that has had to manage excessive heat in past daytime games at home, that matters more than it might seem on paper. The Dolphins arrive as a dangerous early test, but the 49ers at least appear set to avoid one of the more annoying variables that can turn a September game in Santa Clara into something closer to a survival exercise. [Read more 🡒]
Fred Warner Said What 49ers Fans Were Feeling About Dre Greenlaw
The 49ers defense wasted no time reminding the rest of the NFC why it still draws so much attention in Santa Clara. In Week 1 against the Rams, San Francisco held Los Angeles under 10 points, and the middle of that effort looked familiar again with Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw back side by side on the field. Warner led the way with 11 tackles, while Greenlaw added six in his return after spending a year with the Denver Broncos.
For 49ers fans, the reunion carried a little extra weight because it brought back a pairing that has long been tied to the identity of this defense. Warner sounded as energized as the crowd felt about seeing Greenlaw back in the mix, and the early result suggested the comfort level between the two has not gone anywhere. The bigger question now is how quickly that revived linebacker duo can help San Francisco settle in as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]