The 49ers fell apart in the second half Sunday night in Denver. While third-down conversions were a problem all night and the club committed all three of its turnovers over the final two quarters, there was a distinct shift in first-down play calling by head coach Kyle Shanahan in the second half.
In the first half the 49ers had 15 first-down plays (including those negated by penalty). Of those 15 plays they were balanced with their choice of run or pass with eight runs and 11 passes. One of their biggest plays of the night was a first-down run to Jeff Wilson Jr. where he ripped off 37 yards to help set up the 49ers’ lone touchdown.
While the 49ers didn’t put up many points in the first two quarters, they did rack up 186 yards on 30 plays. Their 6.2 yards per play would’ve led the NFL last season. That type of output over the final two quarters might’ve yielded more than three second-half points and a San Francisco victory.
Their offensive production dipped in a big way in the second half. They held on to a 7-3 lead at the break and their play calling, especially on first down, changed dramatically.
San Francisco ran nine first-down plays in the second half while they had the lead. Seven of them were runs against just two passes. Those seven runs accounted for 27 yards, but 18 of those yards came on one carry by Wilson. The other six runs gained only nine yards, which means the 49ers spent a lot of time in second-and-long where they lose some of the benefit of deception and become easier to defend. It also puts them in third-and-long where they have a harder time converting. They finished the game 1-for-10 on third down conversion attempts.
Once the Broncos took the lead the 49ers began throwing on first down, but at that point the run game is virtually unavailable which makes the first-down passing moot.
That’s a significant part of the reason why in 22 second-half plays they gained only 81 yards. Their 3.7 yards per play in the final 30 minutes would’ve been last in the NFL a season ago by almost a full yard. It was an abysmal offensive showing even without the three turnovers.
Perhaps there are personnel issues holding the 49ers back, or they were seeing something they thought they could exploit. It wasn’t working though, and it appears the 49ers’ lack of aggressiveness ultimately doomed them Sunday night in Denver. Shanahan may not have full faith in Garoppolo to make plays with his arm, but the club won’t have a choice if they keep bogging down every time they have a lead.
