3 Takeaways from San Francisco 49ers' Week 7 Win

The San Francisco 49ers picked up their fourth win of the season Sunday, beating the New England Patriots 33-6 in convincing fashion.

San Francisco befuddled New England quarterback Cam Newton, snagged four interceptions on defense and outmaneuvered vaunted coach Bill Belichick for the majority of the four quarters. More importantly, the 49ers looked and played like the Super Bowl contenders they were a year ago.

This was the statement win that 49ers fans have been seeking, and it could well spark the surge that San Francisco has needed. Let's take a look at three key takeaways from the Week 7 victory.

Depth, Play-Calling Can Carry the 49ers' Ground Game

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Jeff Wilson Jr.

The 49ers suffered yet another injury at the running back position Sunday. Jeff Wilson Jr., who led the team with 112 rushing yards and three touchdowns, suffered a high-ankle sprain that could land him on injured reserve. He and wideout Deebo Samuel (hamstring) are at least candidates to miss Week 8's pivotal game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Wilson joins running backs Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman on the injured list, yet there's little reason to think that San Francisco's rushing attack cannot still thrive. This is because of the depth the team has at running back, the quality of their offensive line and coach Kyle Shanahan's dynamic scheming.

"That's always been the identity of Kyle's offense," tackle Trent Williams said, per Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group. "It's a 'run the ball first, balance it out, do a lot off the play action'[offense]. Our offense doesn't go unless we run the ball. That's something that's very important to us and we've worked a ton at it."

Third-down back Jerick McKinnon was rarely used Sunday, but JaMycal Hasty rumbled for 57 yards and 6.3 yards per carry. There's a chance that Coleman will return in Week 8, meaning that the 49ers could have him, Hasty and McKinnon against Seattle. That would be more than enough firepower to allow the running game to hum.

There Are Still Playmakers on Defense

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Fred Warner

The San Francisco defense may be without standouts like Nick Bosa, Solomon Thomas, Dee Ford and Richard Sherman, but they still have some legitimate playmakers on defense. However, that wasn't evident in Week 5, when the 49ers got blown out by the Miami Dolphins 43-17.

San Francisco showed glimpses of the quality of last year's fourth-ranked defense during the Week 6 win over the Los Angeles Rams. They showed even more signs of dominance during Sunday's beatdown of the Patriots.

While Newton was only sacked once, he was pressured and shown multiple looks throughout the game. This led to several key mistakes, including three interceptions. Jarrett Stidham, who replaced Newton, tossed a fourth pick.

Cornerback Jamar Taylor snagged two of the interceptions, while linebacker Fred Warner and cornerback Emmanuel Moseley grabbed one apiece.

As a team, the Patriots were limited to just 241 yards of offense and 4.9 yards per play. Most importantly, they put just three points on the scoreboard.

Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh obviously deserves a ton of credit for keeping his banged-up defense together. San Francisco showed, though, that it has the personnel needed for a dominant defensive performance.

Brandon Aiyuk Is Going to Be a Star

Steven Senne/Associated Press

While the 49ers may be without Samuel against the Seahawks, they are going to have rookie sensation Brandon Aiyuk. That's huge, as the first-round pick out of Arizona State is proving to be a promising young pass-catcher.

Aiyuk finished with six catches for 115 yards against New England and now has 280 yards and a touchdown on 20 receptions this year. While consistency hasn't been the rookie's strong suit—he's had three games with fewer than 25 receiving yards—games like Sunday's show that he has No. 1 wideout potential.

As Aiyuk continues to grow in Shanahan's offense and develop chemistry with Jimmy Garoppolo, he's only going to become more dangerous and a bigger piece of the passing puzzle.

Aiyuk will have another chance to shine in Week 9 against the Seahawks and their 32nd-ranked pass defense. As was the case in the Seattle-Arizona Cardinals matchup Sunday night, this game could have major shootout potential. If so, Aiyuk is going to be a significant piece of the equation.