The Major Concern About The 49ers Heading Into Week 2
The San Francisco 49ers gave up 33 points to the Detroit Lions, a team that most believed would have one of the worst offenses in football in 2021. Will San Fran turn things around?
Matthew Horner - Sep 19, 2021, 10:10am EDT
- The 49ers may have gotten the win over Detroit in Week 1, but it was a high scoring affair on both sides. For a supposedly great defense, the 49ers failed to get the job done against the Lions.
- The Lions were predicted to be one of the worst offenses in football in 2021, and scoring 33 points against what was supposed to be one of the best defenses, is concerning to say the least. The 49ers are -3 road favorites against Philly in Week 2.
- They are -174 on the moneyline, while the Eagles are +146 at home.
Rushing Defense A Concern
The 49ers' rushing defense has a lot to talk about and fix before their Week 2 battle with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Lions rushing attack averaged 4.8 yards per carry, which is way too much success rushing the football against such a talented defensive front. Jamal Williams ran for 10 yards on the very first play of the game.
Williams ran for 54 yards on the day with only nine carries, while also scoring a TD. Former Georgia Bulldog D'Andre Swift ran 11 times in the game for 39 yards. That may not seem like much individually, but together they ran over what was supposed to be a vaunted defense, and San Francisco cannot allow that to happen against Jalen Hurts and Co. this Sunday.
Passing Defense Better, But Still Needs Work
The 49ers' passing defense was solid for a majority of the game, limiting Jared Goff and making him look uncomfortable in the pocket. It was in the final part of the game where we began to see some breakdowns, allowing the Lions signal-caller to get his team within 8 points of victory, and costing 49er's backers their spread bets of -8.5.
Goff went 38/57 for 338 yards and three TDs, which is actually a pretty good performance for what he was working with. San Francisco linebacker Dre Greenlaw did have a pick-six of Goff in the second quarter.
Dee Ford had a great game, getting pressure on Goff all day, while also playing a part in Greenlaw's pick-six. Ford got a sack, and so did teammates Kentavius Street and Nick Bosa. All in all, it wasn't a terrible performance, but they will need to get better against Philly in Week 2.
Find out if BetQL projects the Niners to come away with the victory in this matchup!
