5 Biggest Takeaways from San Francisco 49ers' Week 1 Win

It’s tough to make a definitive statement about the San Francisco 49ers defense, because Week 1 they faced an offense that was not in sync.

Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner hasn’t yet figured out how to integrate running back Adrian Peterson into the offense. Peterson missed 15 games last year due to suspension and sat out all of this year’s preseason. Monday night was his first game in about a year.

The running game Turner created for Peterson Monday night was soft, mostly a finesse read-option attack with three receivers on the field. Peterson gained just seven yards on four carries out of this personnel grouping.

When Turner put two or more tight ends on the field, Peterson gained 17 yards on three rushes—5.6 yards per carry. Why didn’t Turner use these power groupings more often?

Despite Turner’s terrible game plan, we can say one thing for sure about the Niners defense: Inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman is its best player. He looks like the early favorite to win the Comeback Player of the Year Award.

We’ll learn more about the 49ers defense next week when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers. For now, here are the five biggest offensive takeaways from the 49ers’ Week 1 win.

RB Carlos Hyde Is Good

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Carlos Hyde was the best running back in the NFL in Week 1. Out of all tailbacks who carried the ball more than eight times, Hyde ranked first in attempts (26), yards (168) and yards per attempt (6.5), according to Pro Football Focus.

He seemed to get better as the game went on. His most productive quarter was the fourth, when he gained 74 yards on 10 carries. Minnesota simply lost the will to tackle him.

Hyde is powerful enough to run between the tackles—that’s obvious—but he also seems fast enough to run outside the tackles, unlike his predecessor, Frank Gore.

Hyde may be good enough to carry the 49ers to the playoffs this season. He could win the MVP if the Niners win the NFC West.

The Running Game May Improve Without RB Reggie Bush

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Veteran running back Reggie Bush left Monday night’s game with a calf injury, which may have been good news for the 49ers running game.

Bush was the Niners’ No. 2 running back against the Vikings, and rookie Jarryd Hayne was the Niners’ No. 3 running back. But neither player is much of a running back. Bush is a receiver out of the backfield, and Hayne is a punt returner.

When it comes to carrying the ball, the 49ers’ second-best player was inactive Monday night. I’m talking about rookie Mike Davis. He’s a fast and violent rusher, a mini Hyde.

If Bush is hurt next week, Davis probably will be active. In which case, the Niners would have two good running backs, as opposed to Week 1, when they had just one.

The Running Scheme Is Creative

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Hyde was terrific against the Vikings, but so was Niners offensive coordinator Geep Chryst.

Chryst consistently found ways to gain blocking leverage against Minnesota’s front seven in the running game. His formations and personnel groupings were unique.

His favorite grouping seemed to be 13 personnel—one running back, one wide receiver and three tight ends. Most teams use this grouping only on 4th-and-inches, but the Niners used it on the first play of the game and gained nine yards.

In total, Hyde averaged 7.1 yards per carry when the Niners had three tight ends on the field.

Chryst found something that works. Now the rest of the league has to figure out ways stop it.

The Play-Action Passing Game Is Effective

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The Vikings never established a running game in Week 1, so they couldn’t establish a play-action passing game, either.

The Niners established a running game on the first play—Hyde around the left end for nine yards—so play action was a weapon all game.

Starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick used play action on 38.7 percent of his dropbacks Week 1—the highest percentage in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. And on these dropbacks, he completed 10 of 12 play-action passes for 101 yards and posted a passer rating of 101.7.

Part of the reason the Niners’ play-action passes worked so well: Frequently, they involved Kaepernick rolling out. He seems more accurate and confident when he’s throwing on the run than when he’s throwing from the pocket.

The Non-Play-Action Passing Game Still Needs Work

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When Kaepernick couldn’t use play action, when he had to drop straight back and throw without first faking a handoff, he completed only seven of 14 pass attempts for 64 yards and posted a passer rating of just 62.8, according to Pro Football Focus.

He actually improved at non-play-action passes since the preseason, when he completed just four of 10 non-play-action attempts for 26 yards and posted a passer rating of 47.9, per Pro Football Focus.

Kaepernick should continue to improve as he gets more practice and repetition in live games. He still seems out of sync, especially with his newest receiver, Torrey Smith, who caught just one pass for 11 yards against the Vikings.

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