Los Angeles Rams

The Good and Not So Good from 49ers 28-0 Week 1 Win over the Rams

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The San Francisco 49ers are 1-0 after soundly defeating the Los Angeles Rams 28-0 on Monday Night Football. While impressive, let’s look at both sides of the Niners’ Week 1 effort.

Don’t look now, but the San Francisco 49ers are first place in the NFC West and have the league’s best defense after giving up zero — yes, zero — points to the visiting Los Angeles Rams in Week 1 on Monday Night Football.

OK, so that’s a bit of an overreaction.

The Rams aren’t very good. And while negating Los Angeles’ standout defensive line is impressive, as was holding running back Todd Gurley in check, the 49ers still have a long way to go before being considered one of the NFL’s elite.

Still, this victory helps point the Niners in the right direction. And head coach Chip Kelly’s squad did a lot of things very well.

Yet there were some problems and issues too.

Niner Noise focuses on both and points out the good, bad and the ugly from San Francisco’s Week 1 bout.

Let’s get the bad out of the way first, shall we?

The Bad

San Francisco’s offense wasn’t consistent, and this unit flopped in the third quarter. Give credit to the Rams here though. They came out and made a point to shut down 49ers tailback Carlos Hyde after he burned them in the first half.

Quarterback Glaine Babbert — yes, ESPN was pretty bad too — had only 63 yards passing into the third quarter.

Is Glaine Babbert an elite quarterback? #49ers #NFL pic.twitter.com/fzXVVWyi59

— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) September 13, 2016

He missed a number of easy throws to wideouts Torrey Smith and Jeremy Kerley, as well as a few which were dropped by Hyde and others.

The game could have swung in the Rams favor earlier, following fellow running back Shaun Draughn’s first-half fumble, which Los Angeles recovered.

But the Rams couldn’t get anything going on offense anyway.

Sep 12, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde (28) rushes for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half of an NFL game at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Good

Rare may be the 49ers games without a lot of “the bad.” So let’s enjoy this one a bit.

Babbert… err, Blaine Gabbert put together some nice drives in the fourth quarter, capped off with an eight-yard touchdown pass to tight end Vance McDonald. Overall, Gabbert finished 22-of-25 for 170 yards and the lone TD pass of the game.

Gabbert also rushed for 43 yards on the ground.

Hyde’s prowess wasn’t quite like what he showcased in Week 1 on MNF a year ago. But his 88 yards on 23 carries for two touchdowns will do just fine. Especially against one of the better front-seven defenses in the league.

San Francisco was dominant in the trenches. It’s clear the Niners offensive line is, by far, much better than it was a year ago. Holding Rams All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald in check is no easy feat.

The 49ers gave up zero sacks and only one quarterback hit over the contest.

The Niners were also dominant on the flip side of the line. One of the major questions would be how San Francisco’s defensive line would perform with rookie DeForest Buckner and second-year defensive end Arik Armstead contributing on a regular basis.

Jeff Deeney of Pro Football Focus has your early answer:

Our data is still going through our review process, but we have Armstead and Buckner leading the #49ers D with five QB pressures each.

— Jeff Deeney (@PFF_Jeff) September 13, 2016

Armstead recorded one of two 49ers sacks — the other going to veteran linebacker Ahmad Brooks.

And the defense picked off Rams quarterback Case Keenum twice, sending him to a 34.2 passer rating on the night.

But the biggest story for the Niners defense was holding Gurley to a mere 47 yards on the ground and keeping Los Angeles off the scoreboard.

The Ugly

Let’s look forward instead of backward for what’s going to be ugly.

San Francisco has to travel to the Eastern Time Zone and on a short week. The Niners visit the Carolina Panthers, who just happen to be coming off an extended break after their own Week 1 loss to the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football.

NFL: Divisional Round-San Franciso 49ers at Carolina Panthers. Cornerback Tramaine Brock (26) tries to tackle quarterback Cam Newton (1). Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Needless to say, the defending NFC champions will want to get back on track for their home opener.

This situation isn’t unlike what the Niners faced just about a year ago at this time. The 49ers won their 2015 Week 1 bout against the Minnesota Vikings 20-3 only to be routed 43-18 by the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were also coming off an extra three days’ rest.