There’s nothing quite like Week 1 in the NFL. Philadelphia’s Carson Wentz, New England’s Jimmy Garoppolo, the Seahawks almost blowing it against the Dolphins and the stones of the Oakland Raiders had us all entertained for 10 straight hours Sunday.
There’s also nothing like a Week 1 debut on Monday Night Football in front of your home crowd.
That’s where Chip Kelly and his 49ers will find themselves later tonight, under the bright lights at Levi’s Stadium. Here’s how San Francisco fans can wake up Tuesday morning feeling much better about their football team.
- Win the line of scrimmage on offense
There’s arguably no better defensive line in the NFL than the Rams’, but there’s arguably no offensive line that has improved more on paper than the 49ers’. Whether or not the latest drama is true about Anthony Davis, this unit will be the reason the 49ers start the season 1-0. If they pave holes for Carlos Hyde, protect Blaine Gabbert in the pocket, and punch Aaron Donald in the mouth, this game will be close until the very end. If they don’t, the Rams are going to force three-and-outs, fluster Gabbert and silence the crowd at Levi’s. GM Trent Baalke made his biggest offseason investment in the offensive line, adding free agent Zane Beadles and first-round pick Joshua Garnett. The 49ers are committed to winning in the trenches and it starts Monday night.
2. Let Blaine Gabbert throw the ball deep early
For all the check downs and bubble screens to work, the vertical passing game has to be an element of this offense. If Kelly wants room to breathe, an early 40-yard bomb from Gabbert to Quinton Patton will push Los Angeles’ safeties away from the fray. It also could do wonders for Gabbert’s confidence, calming him down in what will be a constant pressure situation in 2016. We’ve written about how long his leash will be as a starting quarterback. It’s inevitable that he’ll look over his shoulder at Colin Kaepernick every mistake he makes. A poised Gabbert is better than a shaky Gabbert, so Kelly needs to tee him up for success early in the game.
3. Force Case Keenum to beat you
Both the Rams and 49ers will be employing similar game plans on defense: take the ball out of the running back’s hands as much as possible. The fear is that Todd Gurley has the home run speed to break a game wide open any time he touches the ball, so the 49ers need to cheat a little bit on first and second down, loading up the box with eight men or possibly even nine — with both Eric Reid and Antoine Bethea. If Jimmie Ward is as improved as he’s looked in practice, he and Tramaine Brock will likely be playing on islands tonight, something they should be able to handle with the Rams’ feeble wide receiving unit. It’s worth rolling the dice to put the Rams in obvious pass situations on third and long. Keenum does have a stronger arm than you think, meaning he’s not afraid to take chances with the football in tight spaces — exactly where Ward and this secondary needs to pounce.
4. Which youngster on the front seven will make multiple plays on defense?
The 49ers are in the middle of pack on defense, but could make the leap to upper echelon if a handful of their recent draft picks start reaching their potential. The spotlight internally will be on second-year defensive end Arik Armstead. He’s more of a run-stopper, but the 49ers will take anything they can get from him. Expect first-round pick DeForest Buckner to play on pass rushing downs and split reps with starter Quinton Dial. This defense is also banking on consistency outside linebackers Eli Harold and Tank Carradine. Because of the way defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil’s scheme is setup, rushing the passer is the central nervous system to everything the 49ers will do defensively. The time is now for the young pups to blossom.
5. Carlos Hyde rushes for 100 yards or more
Per Chris B. Brown of The Ringer, Kelly’s Eagles teams went 24–8 when they rushed for more than 100 yards, Philly was just 2–13 when they didn’t. That’s a staggering statistic and it puts pressure on both Hyde and Kelly the play caller. Hyde was tremendous on MNF in Week 1 last season, taking a 168-yard blowtorch to a stingy Minnesota defense. The Rams are expecting heavy doses of Hyde, though, so it’s up to Kelly to keep them guessing. If Hyde duplicates his performance from a year ago, the 49ers could win in blowout fashion. If he doesn’t, it’s going to be an uphill struggle for Kelly in front of a national television audience.