Without a doubt, quarterback Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers is skilled enough to score points against any defense, and the San Francisco 49ers are well aware of this.
There aren’t many plausible scenarios in which the Packers stop the Niners when they have the ball, despite the fact that most people focus on that side of the ball. in a schematic manner. In terms of personnel. Matches, expertise, and quickness. The 49ers dominate opponents. They just do it, and their opponents haven’t really done anything about it.
Today, I want to draw attention to a particular formation: a mismatch that works in the 49ers’ favor.
Excellent in Empty
In the 49ers’ empty formation during the regular season, Brock Purdy had 89 dropbacks, according to Sports Info Solutions. At that point, the quarterback is by himself in the backfield while the running back is split out as a wide receiver.
While Purdy’s completion percentage was less than usual at 63 percent, his average of 11.2 yards per attempt was comparable to that of a video game. The 49ers are unguardable because of their formation, which has Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Christian McCaffrey, and George Kittle all lined up on one side of the field.
On the opposing side of the field, Jauan Jennings will be paired with one of the players previously mentioned. Defenses are forced to spread the field, which prevents them from funneling coverage in one direction, and you can be sure to get a 1-on-1.
The home team has been the beneficiary of unstoppable results. This season, no team out of empty net generated more EPA, had a higher yard per attempt, or grossed more yards than the Niners.
Being empty also helps because most defenders turn their backs once the ball is caught, which creates a yardage opportunity after the catch, which is a 49ers specialty. Additionally, San Francisco will return No. 15 rather than No. 84. Without a doubt, one of the most crucial players returning for the postseason is Jennings.
We should help McCaffrey’s gravitational pull. Teams will break up the huddle with the intention of double-teaming him, but doing so sets you up for failure in coverage. During the second half of the season, that was the situation with the Eagles and Cardinals.
This is where those who criticize Purdy might want to turn away. Despite 16 games of evidence to the contrary, we continue to see mindsets along the lines of “system QB” and “Checkdown Charlie.”
Brock excels at giving his wideouts opportunities to make plays. That may sometimes entail heaving the ball deep and allowing them to run under it. Purdy may need to drop three steps at times and just go with it:
Shanahan can call more empty formations thanks to Purdy’s timing and accuracy. The quarterback is vulnerable to the blitz and is hard to defend. But the outcomes from above are what you get when you have a quarterback who understands the offense and can read the picture the defense paints for him.
My favorite example is the one that follows because it defines Purdy for us. Look out for No. 15 to the left. He’s honest. Simple to pitch to and catch. You maintain the chains moving, and it’s an easy first down. No, Purdy replies, thank you. He forced the safety to pay after catching him off guard.
Purdy’s check-down is at the intermediate level, and his gut tells him to dig deeper. He’ll throw it short, okay, at worst. However, that is not Purdy, and he hasn’t been since high school.
The 49ers are favored to win the Super Bowl because of this. It’s unrealistic to think that the playoffs will feature 10-play drives and that you’ll be able to march all over the field. It makes sense to anticipate Shanahan to use a few empty formations that will set up his players for success against a Packers defense that ranked eighth in the NFL in terms of yards allowed and yards per attempt against empty.
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