Teams with championship aspirations have to be nitpicky. The details matter, and as the 2023 San Francisco 49ers remember, settling for field goals can be the difference between hoisting a trophy or hanging your head.
The optimist will look at the eight consecutive drives that ended with a score in the 49ers’ 32-19 win over the New York Jets on Monday Night Football, but the pessimist will point out that six of those drives stalled and ended in a field goal. Those playoffs won’t get it done against elite teams come playoff time.
Few Teams Can Afford to Leave Points on the Field
There’s certainly a blueprint for a quarterback who doesn’t try to do too much, a talented running game that keeps the opposing offense off the field, a reliable special teams crew that owns the field position battle and a legendary defense that couldn’t care less if the offense scored or not. The 2000 Baltimore Ravens come to mind.
The 2024 49ers aren’t as talented on defense, but they are more talented on offense — as long as they can get the ball into the end zone. The 2000 Ravens squad gave up 23 points in their four playoff games. Not per game, but in total.
To be fair, not every field goal is created equally. A 45-yard field goal when you started on your own 15-yard line feels different than a 24-yard field goal when you had first-and-10 on the 11-yard line. Against the New York Jets on September 9, the 49ers had the following notable opportunities:
- 1st and 10 at NYJ 32 after a turnover, gained only 3 yards, kicked FG
- 1st and 10 at NYJ 13 during a sustained drive, didn’t gain another yard, kicked FG
- 1st and 10 at NYJ 14 during a sustained drive, kicked FG on 4th and 1 from NYJ 5*
- 3rd and 2 at NYJ 18 up 19 points with 5:06 left, took a sack, kicked FG
*SF was up 16 here, extending to a three-score game is defensible
The 49ers totaled 12 points in a situation where even last year’s team likely would have scored touchdowns on two of the drives (the 2023 squad had a red zone TD percentage of 67.2%). That’s an extra eight points, which will matter against the Kansas City Chiefs of the world.
There’s Plenty to Celebrate, Too
By the end of the night, the 49ers had accomplished what they set out to do, basking in the glory of a 32-19 victory over the Jets. It was a dominant ball-control performance that saw the 49ers keep possession for 38:40 to the Jets 21:20, due to the surprise performance of Jordan Mason, who ran for 147 yards on 28 carries.
Brock Purdy didn’t light up the box score, but he took care of the ball and when a team is running as well as the 49ers were, protecting the ball is all he needed to do. He’d finish with 231 yards passing on 19-of-29, with a nice 11-yard scamper mixed in. Trent Williams did his part, allowing zero pressures on his 33 pass blocking snaps, according to Next Gen Stats on X.
The defense frustrated Aaron Rodgers all night, holding him to a pedestrian 13 completions on 21 attempts for just 167 yards. Leonard Floyd recorded the 49ers only sack, though Nick Bosa (twice) and Jordan Elliott also knocked the QB down.
