"The good news about ugly wins is that they count just the same in the standings. There is no column for style points in the NFL, which is fortunate, because the San Francisco 49ers wouldn't have earned any in their Monday night victory over the Carolina Panthers. But with the 20-9 win, the Niners are sitting at 8-4. In a muddled NFC, they likely need just two more victories to punch a ticket to the postseason. That's the math."
"Lost in the interceptfest was the fact that McCaffrey remains the most reliable bailout plan in football. His nine touches on the opening drive were so brutally effective that there wasn't time to stop and consider that giving him that much volume that early is borderline coaching malpractice. But once Kyle Shanahan finally decided to stop flirting with disaster in the passing game and just run outside zone, the Niners put the game on ice."
"You cannot break what is already broken. On his game-opening touchdown, three Panthers defenders converged on Jennings. They hit him from the left. They hit him from the right. They hit him from behind. Most receivers fold. Jennings? He simply shrugged them off like a man brushing crumbs off jacket and walked into the end zone. It doesn't matter what else happens on the stat sheet. A play that boss lands you on the Studs list immediately."
The San Francisco 49ers beat the Carolina Panthers 20-9 on Monday night in a messy game that still improved their record to 8-4. The win leaves the 49ers positioned in a muddled NFC and likely needing roughly two more victories to secure a postseason berth. Christian McCaffrey carried the offense with highly effective early touches and helped close the game once the team returned to the run-heavy outside zone. McCaffrey is on pace to become the only player with 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in a season twice. Jauan Jennings scored a game-opening touchdown by shrugging off multiple defenders. The victory exposed passing inconsistencies and questionable play-calling but preserved postseason prospects.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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