Balanced Offense Is Key to a 49ers' Victory over Rams in Week 9
The bye week has concluded, much-needed rest has been granted and the San Francisco 49ers are preparing themselves for a critical Week 9 matchup against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday, November 2 at Levi's Stadium.
San Francisco pulled away with a 31-17 victory the last time these two teams met. That contest was in St. Louis, with the 49ers boasting an offense that generated 432 total yards—343 of which came through the air.
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The lofty passing numbers were the direct result of the Rams' efforts to stuff the box and take away the rushing prowess of Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde.
In that approach, St. Louis succeeded. The combination of Gore and Hyde was limited to just 52 yards on 27 combined carries. But what worked so well in one area ultimately failed the Rams in another. As a result of this defensive approach, the 49ers were able to exploit a vulnerable St. Louis secondary.
Colin Kaepernick and company ended up gaining a total of 343 passing yards and three touchdowns during the process.
San Francisco is coming off its Week 8 bye and will have enjoyed a two-week period in which the team was able to rest, recover and prepare for this divisional matchup. St. Louis, on the other hand, is coming off a 34-7 drubbing at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Adding more salt to the Rams wounds are the recent losses of offensive tackle Jake Long (ACL) and wide receiver Brian Quick (shoulder)—both of whom are gone for the remainder of the season, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.
St. Louis' defense will likely have to spend much more time on the field now that two critical pieces are gone from the team's offensive equation.
This sets up a perfect opportunity for San Francisco.
Breaking Down the Numbers
The Rams defense still holds an above-average rank in terms of total yards allowed. St. Louis has given up a total of just 2,635 yards (11th fewest in the NFL). In comparison, the 49ers rank No. 1 in this category with just 2,142 yards allowed.
St. Louis boasts the fifth-best passing defense when evaluating offensive pass-yards against (1,622). Against the run, the Rams remain vulnerable. Their defense has allowed a total of 1,013 rushing yards, which ranks No. 27 in the league.
Perhaps this statistic explains why St. Louis elected to stack the box against the defense when it hosted San Francisco in Week 6.
As we know, the 49ers have a great history of running the ball. One might think that this approach would have worked against a lackluster run defense. But San Francisco's offense did what most effective teams should do—take advantage of what the opposition gives you.
In this case, it was the passing game that ended up being the key difference.
But the 49ers have not exactly lived up to the reputation of being a run-first team in 2014. Through seven weeks, San Francisco has attempted 232 passing plays compared to 210 rushing attempts.
The difference in these numbers suggests there may be a couple of different ideas coming into play. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman could be utilizing a pass-happy attack, given the depth San Francisco currently has at wide receiver. The other idea is that some of the 49ers' opponents—the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos are perfect examples—stack up well against the run.
But how does all of this translate into San Francisco's offensive approach in Week 9?
It is possible that Jeff Fisher's Rams will once again guard against the 49ers' ability to run the ball. But we also should not be surprised to see the St. Louis defense try a more balanced defensive approach, given what happened previously between these two squads.
The 49ers will have to figure out a way to overcome this.
Balancing the Offense
If St. Louis repeats a run-stopping approach in Week 9, San Francisco may very well take to the air like it did in Week 6.
But let us assume that the Rams try to utilize a more balanced defense to thwart the 49ers' offensive prowess—a scheme that might be the only way an inferior run defense would work here against San Francisco.
It will fall upon Roman to try and establish the running game early and often, perhaps with heavy doses of Gore and Hyde throughout the first half.
Let's take a look at an example from Week 6.
The play in question takes place at the 14:31 mark of the third quarter. Gore is lined up to Colin Kaepernick's right. Kaepernick, who is lined up in a shotgun formation, motions tight end Vernon Davis to the left side of the line. This draws a St. Louis defender over to that side.
Kaepernick executes the snap and hands the ball off to Gore prior to faking a throw to the right. While not in the screen, this momentarily freezes the Rams' defensive back on that side of the field. This takes off some additional pressure from Gore's rushing attempt.
Davis will deliver a key block after running back to the right of the line. Also note how Rams safety T.J. McDonald is out of position, which opens up a bigger lane for Gore to exploit.
Gore gains seven yards on the play before McDonald brings him down.
The formation and motion suggested a pass on this particular play, perhaps with the focus drawn to Davis in motion. Thanks to some key blocks, Gore was able to exploit a gap in the defense and pick up a decent gain on the play.
If the Rams elect to guard against the run, plays like these could provide the difference in establishing the running game early.
Let's assume San Francisco can get its rushing attack established. In turn, this will set up play-action and read-option plays for Kaepernick and the offense.
Here is an example of how this worked against this Rams defense.
Later in the quarter—at the 4:10 mark, to be exact—the 49ers line up in a similar formation, with Kaepernick in shotgun and Gore lined up to his right. Davis will start a motion towards the left prior to working back to the right side. Wide receiver Stevie Johnson (not shown) is lined up to the left and will be the primary option on a quick delivery.
Kaepernick completes the quick pass to Johnson, who gains nine yards on the play before being pushed out of bounds. Notice the plethora of Rams defensive backs who are concentrated on the opposite side of the field.
Part of this was due to Davis' motion and threat as a receiving target. Additionally, the insertion of Gore as a possible rushing threat took away some of the exterior pressure from Johnson. Technically, it was not play action, but St. Louis was forced to respect a run in this particular situation.
This type of balanced approach, utilizing different plays from similar looks, assisted San Francisco's offense to a great extent in Week 6.
We should expect a similar game plan from Roman and the offense in Week 9.
Making the Pieces Fit
One critical aspect that was shown in the aforementioned plays was Davis. Davis was likely suffering from the lingering effects of a back injury that sidelined him the previous week. During this particular contest, Davis was limited to just three receptions for 30 yards, despite being targeted six times.
Davis is a prominent figure, not just in the receiving game, but also as a pass-blocker. With defenses forced to respect the mismatch, properly utilizing his skill set will be a vital factor in implementing the offensive prowess the 49ers hope to achieve against St. Louis.
Equally important will be the rushing efforts of Gore and Hyde.
Gore shouldered the majority of San Francisco's ground-game burdens in the first half of the season (102 attempts compared to Hyde's 48).
But as James Brady of Niners Nation suggests, we could see an increased workload for Hyde during the latter half of 2014. This would serve two purposes. First, the 49ers obviously want to keep Gore fresh for another deep postseason run.
Also, it would continue the establishment of Hyde as a bona fide threat out of the backfield.
Spreading the ball around through the air will also be a vital aspect. The 49ers were able to expose defensive backs like Janoris Jenkins in Week 6, while preventing upstart rookie E.J. Gaines from making crucial plays.
And, of course, nothing will work if San Francisco can't get the production and efficiency out of its offensive line.
The O-line will have to contend with a Rams team that has mustered just six sacks on the season. This is a far cry from a Denver Broncos defense that amassed the same number in just one game (Week 7) against the 49ers.
Healthy returns of O-linemen Mike Iupati (concussion) and Anthony Davis (knee/ankle) will help bolster what has been a beleaguered unit so far. Iupati is back on track to start, per Larry Hartstein of CBS Sports.
At center, the 49ers will look to get the same sort of production out of rookie Marcus Martin, who now fills in for Daniel Kilgore. Kilgore is out for the season with a leg fracture.
Atop all of this, San Francisco's offensive approach will fall upon the shoulders of Roman calling the correct plays and Kaepernick making the right decisions under center.
We've seen the Rams get creative with their own play-calling on a season that is going nowhere fast. Their matchup against the Seattle Seahawks is a perfect example. Defensively, it should not come as a surprise for St. Louis to employ some tricks and schemes to throw off San Francisco's offensive approach.
Therefore, it will fall upon the entirety of the 49ers offense to take advantage of a defense that they should be able to handle. The cards play into San Francisco's favor. Proper execution will determine the final outcome.
All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated.
Peter Panacy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the San Francisco 49ers. Be sure to check out his entire archive on 49ers news, insight and analysis.
Follow him @PeterPanacy on Twitter.
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