Week 1 Recap - TNF 49ers vs Rams
The San Francisco 49ers went to Australia a week early and dominated the Super Bowl favorite Los Angeles Rams, with a final score of 27-7.
Perhaps an unexpected Week 1 result, let's recap what happened.
I will no longer be giving the same drive-by-drive game summary, but here is a brief overview of the game flow:
Game Flow
The Rams started with two punts, and the 49ers put up a 7 minute drive for a FG in between. Los Angeles scored their only points of the game on a TD drive that was carried by a 41 catch and run by Puka Nacua. Brock Purdy and Matthew Stafford then traded interceptions, before the 49ers had a TD drive capped off by a 39 yard TD to Demarcus Robinson. 49ers lead 10-7 at the half.
San Francisco started the half with a TD drive, with Mike Evans catching a fade in the endzone. Los Angeles followed it up by getting stuffed on 4th and goal from the 1 yard line. And the 49ers essentially ended the game with a 99 yard TD drive, with Deebo Samuel scoring his first TD back in a 49ers uniform. SF added a FG to cap off the game, before the Rams conceded by putting Stetson Bennett in the game with over 3 minutes remaining.
Reviewing My Preview
I was wrong in my prediction outcome here, as I had the Rams winning 27-26. I was correct in believing in the 49ers offense to be efficient and put up enough points, but that was about it.
The turnovers were even, and while the 49ers outperformed Los Angeles on special teams, it wasn't really game changing.
The Rams ended up being the team who fell behind and had to push the ball downfield, and Stafford could not do it, going 3/9 with an INT when throwing beyond 10 yards. Raheem Morris' defense was fantastic on all levels, despite a thin defense front. It's hard to "blow the 49ers defense out of the water" when Fred Warner and Nick Bosa are out there.
49ers Overreactions/Takeaways
The dropback passing game is elite once again.
Brock Purdy looked great outside of the INT, which we already know. The big takeaway is the offensive line keeping Purdy clean against what is meant to be an elite defensive line. The next overreaction helps the passing game even more as well.
The 49ers run game is back.
That performance on the ground was better than anything we saw from the 49ers in 2025. Christian McCaffrey had more room to run than he did all of last season. And Kaelon Black's explosiveness to take a load off CMC is so nice to see. The run gameplan as a whole was very encouraging, finally seeing success on outside crack tosses once again.
The starting offensive line is solidified and Trent Williams is the GOAT LT.
The 49ers offensive line has been consistently below average, which is disappointing when you have Trent out there. Trent Williams being this athletic at age 38 is one of the more ridiculous things I have ever seen in my life. But the right side of the line has developed, and Connor Colby looked more than capable against a good D-Line. More on this later.
Fred Warner is the GOAT LB.
It's night and day when Fred is on the field. First game back, he has a PBU, one(arguably 2) forced fumble, 11 total tackles, and became the 49ers all-time leader in tackles. The way Raheem Morris used him on the line of scrimmage is so difficult to deal with because of Warner's skillset.
This is the best cornerback room the 49ers have had in the Kyle Shanahan era.
Jack Jones played 8 snaps when SF went dime and had two PBUs. Lenoir is very good, Upton Stout continues to shine, and Renardo Green looked fantastic, even in the run game. This gives Morris so much flexibility and different skillsets on the backend of his defense.
The pros and cons section for this season will be mostly based on who I watched in depth on film, and I will have a weekly game film thread on my Twitter/X instead of providing cut-ups. You can find said thread here.
Let me know after each game who you want me to watch in depth after each game!
Pros
Marques Sigle
Sigle started over Mustapha and played 100% of the snaps. I discussed his positive traits that are great for safeties in the preseason, and I thought they showed up. His speed is fantastic, but he added some muscle this offseason. He is a still sound tackler, but provided some more pop in Week 1. Sigle is truly a run game savant, he take fantastic routes downhill to contribute against the run.
Sigle's main issue as a rookie was contesting catches, but he was not targeted against LA. His coverage reps appeared to be clean.
Connor Colby
Initially, I was disappointed rookie Carver Willis was not starting, because I thought he looked good enough to earn his shot based off of the preseason. Colby saw zero reps at LG in preseason, and his 6 starts as a rookie were less than encouraging. I still think Colby's job security will be a week-to-week thing, but he dang sure isn't giving up his starting spot this week.
All around solid performance next to Trent Williams. Two pressures allowed, where his anchor wasn't good enough and he was pushed too far back into the pocket. A pair of reps where he and Trent didn't pick up the stunt. But there were also reps where they did, very successfully! The run game was more encouraging. Colby did not only get to his targets on the second level, but he actually displaced them. He crossed face on the LOS very well. Playing next to Trent helps, and Colby did get bullied a bit by Kobie Turner late in the game. But this was a very encouraging performance.
Rookie Defensive Tackles
Gracen Halton and James Thompson Jr did not dominate, but they played more than well enough for their NFL debut against a good Rams interior offensive line. Halton saw 29 snaps, 2nd most among 49ers DTs, and Thompson had 20.
Halton was encouraging in the run game, especially against this IOL and being listed at just 293lbs. I loved how he maneuvers, and has the ability to hold and peek to find the RB, and the athleticism and strength to get off the block to contribute to the tackle. It wasn't all perfect, getting moved easily against double teams, but a solid performance. And his get-off and athleticism showed up in pass rush as well.
Thompson's preseason flashes showed up in Week 1. I love how he knows how to get upfield in the pass rush, only being stifled a pair of times. He even looked good rounding the corner on stunts, moving really well. Being able to do this as a UDFA, while also having the base and strength to stand his ground in the run game is very impressive. It wasn't a "must start" performance, but was nice to see with Alfred Collins being out for the season. Thompson can hold all the responsibilities that Morris could ask out of his interior players.
Linebacking group, particularly Jaden Dugger
Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw returning is such a breath of fresh air for this defense. And Jaden Dugger started alongside them, playing 56% of the snaps. This is pretty wild for a 5th round rookie in Week 1.
Nothing crazy from Dugger, but he looked comfortable, which should make the fanbase comfortable. He had a decent amount of snaps where he lined up on the edge, and nothing bad happened when he did so. There were no lapses in coverage. And he made a couple nice tackles, where the TEs assigned to block him were no match.
Freshness of the run game
I already brought this up, but it was so nice to see. The use of motion, the blocking from the skill positions, the explosiveness on outside zone plays, it was just so nice to see. The 49ers had just 29 explosive runs in 2025, and had 5 in Week 1. Nice.
Cons
Raheem Morris is too good to stick around
Morris the 49ers' 5th defensive coordinator in as many years, and he brings a whole new look to the defense. And I loved what I saw in Week 1. Having 54, 57, and 97 on the field helps, but it was just so refreshing to watch. But even after being fired in January, Morris was still a finalist for a head coaching job this offseason. He only just turned 50 years old. I would be shocked if Morris was the 49ers DC in 2027, let alone beyond.
C.J. West
Perhaps it is too harsh to call West a negative, but here we are. West is by far the largest man left on this defensive line. In Morris' 5-man fronts, a nose tackle is required, to an extent, at 2i. West is, theoretically, best suited for that role with Collins out. The 49ers need him to at least play this role. But he was moved way too easily in the run game, a concerning sign. There were some good reps, but the anchor was too weak.
I was pleasantly surprised with West's pass rush, after being a complete zero in that category as a rookie. He wasn't a statue at all. West saw 22 snaps(8 once Stetson Bennett subbed in) and many were with Osa Odighizuwa. They produced in pass rush, but their "chemistry" was off, running into each other multiple times. West is still a work in progress.
Romello Height
Height had a few good pass rush reps, and his speed to power flashed a bit. But he was mostly just a body on the field during his 29 snaps. As a defensive end, if you aren't producing anything positive, you are kind of a negative by default. Is he fully healthy?
This was an inspiring performance by the 49ers.
We have very little context because it is Week 1, but San Francisco went up against what is supposed to be the best team in the NFL. And shoot, forget the insane hype train for LA, their team is straight up great in certain facets, and the 49ers outplayed them. Their interior offensive line is fantastic, and this is one of the best defensive lines in the NFL.
It should make you really excited to see what the 49ers defensive line, particularly the interior D-Line, can do against more "average" opponents. And what will the pass protection, and run game, look like against more "average" defensive fronts?! The 49ers looked dang good against units that we know are more than solid.
Again, it is just Week 1. But this is a more than encouraging performance by the 49ers as an entire team. There is a legitimate positive to take away from every position group.
A couple final things.
I briefly mentioned Raheem Morris and the refreshing-ness of this defense. But it really will be fun to track. The stunts up front appeared even more than with Robert Saleh, as Morris blitzes more and is can drop Height and Dugger into coverage.
There is so much more flexibility all around. From Halton and Odighizuwa being elite athletes to stunt on the inside. To Upton Stout and Deommodore Lenoir being able to play all over the secondary. And to Fred Warner being the freakiest player in the NFL, having the range and ability to be all over the field. There is so much more for Morris to utilize this season, compared to what the 49ers were operating with in 2025.
A lot of exciting things happened in Week 1 that will be fun to monitor throughout the season. But the top one for myself is the young talent.
From horrendous draft classes in 2022 and 2023, to your top 3 players from 2024 and 2025 suffering season ending injuries at a point, the 49ers have been lacking young talent for a while. And even their top pick from 2026 is now injured.
But a lot of young guys were on the field in Week 1:
LG Connor Colby (23 years old), 65 snaps
RB Kaelon Black (24), 28 snaps
DT Gracen Halton (22), 29 snaps
DT James Thompson Jr (24), 20 snaps
DT CJ West (24), 22 snaps
EDGE Romello Height (25), 29 snaps
LB Jaden Dugger (22), 32 snaps
CB Upton Stout (24), 34 snaps
S Marques Sigle (24), 57 snaps
All are rookies or Year 2 players.
They weren't all elite, but the 49ers do have young talent they are relying on. It's just not flashy. We'll see how many of these guys solidify their roles, with 4 of them being Week 1 starters.
Injuries
49ers:
WR De'Zhaun Stribling left with an ankle injury, returned, then left on a cart and did not return.
TE Jake Tonges did not return with an MCL injury.
RB Christian McCaffrey left and returned with cramps.
LT Trent Williams left and returned with cramps.
Rams:
The Rams did not provide a postgame injury update.
LB Nate Landman left with a shoulder injury and did not return, via the broadcast.
The 49ers Week 1 is complete with a W!
Let me know your thoughts on the game against the Rams, what did you like and what do the 49ers (or Rams!) need to do better?
Leave a comment below, or go to by Twitter/X, @GridironGoldM_!
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