© Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
SANTA CLARA — Out of all the 49ers’ struggles in their 1-6 start, their most consistent shortcoming is turning the ball over. They lead the NFL with 18 giveaways and are last with three takeaways.
For a team already undermanned with injuries, wasted possessions and lack of defensive play-making have consistently dug the 49ers into holes too great to overcome. They won the turnover battle in just one of their seven games this season. The result? Their lone win, 30-27, over the Detroit Lions in Week 2.
On Monday afternoon, one day after the visiting Los Angeles Rams pummeled the 49ers, 39-10, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about his team’s massive turnover disparity.
“We’ve had 18 turnovers this year, and I’ve watched every single one definitely more than once,” Shanahan told reporters. “I recommend you guys do it, too. You guys will see there’s a lot of people involved in each one.”
We followed his advice.
It’s not a pretty picture.
BALL SECURITY/FUMBLING
The 49ers have fumbled and lost the ball five times because of poor ball security.
The issue started early. In the second quarter of Week 1, the 49ers used 14 plays to march 69 yards in their 24-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. On second and goal at the one-yard line, running back Alfred Morris choked up the ball for San Francisco’s first turnover of the season. The 49ers trailed, 10-3, at the time.
Each of San Francisco’s three healthy running backs — Morris, Matt Breida, and Raheem Mostert — has lost a fumble this season.
Mostert lost one on his second carry of the year. Arizona outside linebacker Chandler Jones, who was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after his dominating performance, popped the ball loose. Cornerback Patrick Peterson scooped it up and ran it 49 yards. Arizona promptly scored a touchdown to extend its lead to 14-7.
On the positive side, Mostert emphasized ball security the following week in practice, and he has not fumbled in two games since.
Empty possessions are frustrating. Fumbling the ball before the offense touches the ball is more frustrating.
In Week 6, the 49ers and Packers traded touchdowns on their opening offensive drives. On the ensuing kickoff, rookie D.J. Reed did not secure the ball as he cut back for extra yardage. The Packers recovered and kicked a field goal to take the 10-7 lead.
The same issue plagued the 49ers early in the second quarter. On the first play of the drive, quarterback C.J. Beathard found fullback Kyle Juszczyk for what appeared to be at least a 20-yard gain. But Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix wrapped up Juszczyk and poked the ball free. The Packers, again, connected on a field goal on the ensuing possession. In a three-point final score, these turnovers played a key role in San Francisco’s loss.
The 49ers’ 16th turnover and seven lost fumble of the season came with about one minute remaining in the first quarter of Week 7. Breida bursted through a hole, but Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald — who, too, was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week, after his four-sack day — stripped Breida.
POOR PROTECTION/NOT STEPPING UP IN THE POCKET
C.J. Beathard has five fumbles, two of which he lost, in just four starts this season. A couple of his interceptions were fringe fumbles, with the defensive player knocking the ball out during his release.
Sometimes, Beathard has not stepped up quickly enough in the pocket. Others, the pocket has collapsed too quickly for him to throw the ball away or scramble. His receivers have also struggled to gain separation downfield, an issue that has magnified with Marquise Goodwin out in Weeks 2 and 5 and rookie Dante Pettis sidelined for the past four contests.
One of San Francisco’s most frustrating losses came in Week 4, its first game without Jimmy Garoppolo. Trailing 29-27 with fewer than four minutes remaining, Beathard threw an interception that sealed the loss. Chargers safety Derwin James went untouched on an outside blitz. Morris did not obstruct James from Beathard, who hit the quarterback just as he threw. James recovered the errant pass, and the Chargers ran out the clock on the following possession to notch the victory.
Beathard’s first lost fumble came in Week 5 against Arizona.
Trailing, 14-6, early in the third quarter, Jones beat Joe Staley on the edge and stripped Beathard, who did not account for Jones’ length. Beathard had plenty of pocket to use. Juszczyk appeared open on the left side of the field.
One quarter later, as the game clock ticked to fewer than six minutes remaining, Beathard fumbled again. His first two reads to his right side were not open. He froze, and the pocket collapsed. The Cardinals scored a touchdown on the fumble recovery to extend their lead to 21-12 after the made PAT.
Fast forward to last Sunday. On the below play, Beathard fumbled, though this one was likely not his fault. He stepped up in the pocket to target tight end George Kittle. But Beathard was hit mid-throw, and the Rams recovered.
INTERCEPTIONS
The 49ers have thrown 10 interceptions, the third-most in the NFL.
Garoppolo had three interceptions in his abbreviated 2018 season. The first came on San Francisco’s first drive of the second half vs. Minnesota, but it was not Garoppolo’s fault. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne ran the wrong route, which he later admitted, running a “comeback” instead of a “curl.”
On San Francisco’s first drive of the fourth quarter, Garoppolo slightly overthrew Pettis. The Vikings cleaned up the tipped pass.
Trailing 24-16, the 49ers retained the ball with fewer than two minutes remaining. Two plays into the drive, Garoppolo threw the interception that led to the loss. First-team All-Pro safety Harrison Smith read Garoppolo’s eyes the whole way.
In four starts, Beathard has seven interceptions, the seventh-most in the league. They have not all been his fault, particularly his first.
In Week 5, tight end Garrett Celek dropped a pass he should have caught on the goal line. The Chargers intercepted the ball and returned it for 86 yards, eventually leading to a field goal. In a contest decided by two points, this play helped decide the game.
Beathard has been accurate when he has had time to throw. In Week 5, he put a throw on Pierre Garcon’s hands, but the coverage was tight, and the Cardinals intercepted the tipped pass.
Fast forward to the fourth quarter. The 49ers, trailing 21-12, faced a fourth-and-17. Beathard heaved the ball to Victor Bolden, but it was under-thrown.
Beathard’s most costly turnover came with a tied game winding down in Week 6. The 49ers were on the cusp of a marquee Monday Night Football victory over the Green Bay Packers.
On third-and-3 at the Green Bay 46-yard line, Beathard threw deep for Goodwin. If it was completed, this would have likely ended the game, assuming the 49ers ultimately scored. But the Packers got the ball back, and Aaron Rodgers led them downfield for a game-winning field goal.
Beathard’s sixth interception of the season came last Sunday. As Beathard stepped up in the pocket, the coverage tightened. Rams cornerback Troy Hill jumped Goodwin’s route and snagged the pass.
Finally, turnover No. 18. The Rams, again, made a terrific play on the ball when Beathard’s pass for Kittle was tugged away from him.
CONCLUSIONS
As you saw, and as Shanahan alluded, each turnover was relatively distinct from the next.
Some takeaways:
- The ones that stung most were either careless or poorly timed, with relation to time and score. The 49ers have turned the ball over six times in both the first and fourth quarter. They have either dug themselves into a hole with early miscues or squandered their chances to win games with late miscues. On the latter, the 49ers had chances to either take the lead or seal the game in away matchups with the Chargers and Packers. But Beathard threw interceptions — though the Celek drop against the Chargers was not Beathard’s fault— to let the game slip away. San Francisco’s 1-6 start could be 3-4 if those late turnovers were avoided.
- Lost fumbles from poor ball security will happen, but five in seven games is far too many. On all five fumbles, the 49ers coughed up the ball on arm tackles. These turnovers are the most controllable.
- Beathard has improved upon his rookie campaign in most categories, but his 10 turnovers in four starts are concerning. They have not all been his fault, but he deserves at least partial blame for the majority, whether he is honing in on one receiver, not sensing pressure, or failing to protect the ball.
- His receivers have to get open, and that has not happened in recent weeks. Last Sunday, the 49ers receivers collected just four total catches for 35 yards.
- The offensive line has to give Beathard better protection. San Francisco has allowed 27 sacks, the second-most in the league. When the 49ers have faced dominant defensive linemen, including Jones and Donald, they have struggled.
- On some turnovers, the opposing defenses made plays the 49ers defense has not. The 49ers offense has rarely worked with a shrunken field, making them earn their points with long drives, creating more opportunity for turnovers.