The 49ers opened the season with a win over the Rams, and the result looked strong enough on paper. But inside the roster, there were still some uneven performances that left plenty for San Francisco to clean up.
George Kittle’s return was one of the more closely watched parts of Week 1. He is back after an Achilles injury and is ahead of his projected timeline, which makes some of the rough edges easier to explain.
Still, there are real questions around where his game is right now. He turns 33 this year, dealt with injury concerns beyond the Achilles last season, and his physical style has to hold up over time.
That concern grows sharper because his backup, Jake Tonges, might be out for the rest of the season. The 49ers need Kittle to keep trending upward.
On the defensive line, West was forced into the starting role after Alfred Collins got hurt, and the results were shaky. He looked like a reserve pressed into duty, not someone ready to anchor a starting spot. In the run game, West was getting blown off the line of scrimmage, and the only thing that kept the damage from looking worse was the fact that San Francisco’s offense pushed the Rams into a pass-heavy approach.
Dee Greenlaw also had a rough return in a 49ers uniform. He missed an early tackle and looked out of place against the run. Fred Warner’s ability to cover what amounted to two jobs helped hide some of the issues, and the Rams’ game plan also worked in Greenlaw’s favor.
At safety, Brown won a starting job, but he didn’t exactly lock it down. He missed three tackles against Los Angeles, and the run defense - usually one of his strengths - was a problem. San Francisco already showed it isn’t afraid to make a change, benching Malik Mustapha for Marques Sigle in Week 1, and Brown could find himself in the same spot if the struggles continue.
The two mid-round picks from last year who entered the season in their second year were both healthy inactives. James has slipped badly after competing with Kaelon Black not long ago, and now he is nowhere near him. Black has taken on a bigger role behind Christian McCaffrey, while James is still trying to get a carry.
Watkins was also unavailable, and the team brought up KhaDarel Hodge in his place. That move cost Watkins both his fifth-receiver role and his punt-return work, which went to Jacob Cowing. For now, the former fourth-round pick does not have much value to the 49ers.
In Other News...
Christian McCaffrey Shared The Australia Moment He Never Saw Coming
Christian McCaffreys first trip to Australia for the 49ers season opener gave him more than a win over the Rams. After the game in Melbourne, he spent part of his postgame session talking about the lighter side of the trip, from the local coffee to a barber who gave his haircut a review that caught him off guard. It was the kind of off-field moment that usually gets lost in a long road trip, except this one had enough charm to stick.
McCaffrey said the barber called the cut cracker, Australian slang for excellent, and he seemed to enjoy the brief culture lesson as much as the coffee. For a player whose production still mattered in San Franciscos victory, it was a reminder that the teams first game abroad came with a little more texture than the scoreboard alone showed. The football part was straightforward enough, but the travel story added a different kind of memory to the opener. [Read more 🡒]
Steve Young Just Sent 49ers Fans A Strong Week 1 Message
The 49ers opened the season with a convincing 27-7 win over the Rams, the kind of early statement that can make a team look every bit like a contender. It also gave fans a first glimpse of what this group can be when the roster is intact, with the usual mix of talent, depth and big-game expectations attached to it.
Steve Youngs postgame message served as a reminder that the real challenge for San Francisco is rarely about upside. The former quarterback pointed to the obvious strength of the roster while noting how often injuries have complicated things for this team, which is why the path to another Super Bowl run still has to be handled week by week. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Just Found An International Edge Rams Fans Hate
The 49ers did not just show up in Australia for a game, they treated the trip like a chance to make a first impression that could last. While the Rams opted to arrive late for their NFL date down under, San Francisco got there early and worked the local scene, a contrast that gave the 49ers a chance to feel less like visitors and more like a team willing to meet the country halfway.
For a franchise always looking to widen its reach, that kind of approach matters. It helped the 49ers build more support in Australia while leaving the Rams to wonder whether they had passed on a rare opportunity to grow a fanbase in a market still figuring out which NFL team to adopt. [Read more 🡒]