Raheem Mostert is on injured reserve with an ankle injury, Tevin Coleman is on injured reserve with a knee issue and the San Francisco 49ers are still finding ways to gash the New England Patriots defense on the ground.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is without his top two running backs, but the team’s offensive mastermind designed a game plan to take control of Sunday’s matchup with the Patriots with a multi-faceted rushing attack.
Fourth-string running back Jeff Wilson, Jr. made a surprise start and set a career high with 92 rushing yards in the first half, including 16 yards on a touchdown run that gave the 49ers a three-score lead with less than a minute to go before halftime.
Wilson bumped that total up to 112 yards with a seven-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, but suffered an ankle injury while being tackled into the end zone that forced him to exit the field with a trainer. After walking off the field on his own power, Wilson was spotted by television cameras riding a cart back to the locker room for further evaluation.
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Wilson appears to have surpassed fellow tailback Jerrick McKinnon on the depth chart and responded by showcasing impressive physicality and a relentless downhill approach against a Patriots defense that looked overwhelmed by San Francisco’s run game in the first half. Wilson set the tone for the 49ers, but Shanahan has spread the ball around to several other offensive weapons.
He may be a Jr. but he's having a pretty big day.#SFvsNE x #FTTB pic.twitter.com/OnJjkpTrmy
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 25, 2020
Fullback Kyle Juszczyk was a leading blocker throughout the first half, but also took advantage of a short-yardage situation around the goal line to score his first touchdown of the season with 6:23 to go in the second quarter.
Juszczyk, tight end George Kittle and offensive tackles Trent Williams and Mike McGlinchey dominated the edges throughout the first half, giving Shanahan the chance to call plays outside the hash marks and set up favorable matchups against the Patriots’ perimeter defenders.
The 49ers finished the first half averaging 6.3 yards per carry as they outgained New England by 98 yards on the ground, but many of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s 181 passing yards came on short attempts behind the line of scrimmage that were essentially extensions of the run game.
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel gained six yards on two handoffs and finished the first half with four receptions for 59 yards as the 49ers consistently looked for ways to feed him the ball in the backfield and let him create opportunities in space.
The 49ers had several chunk plays on the ground en route to taking a 23-3 halftime lead, but one of the most important gains was a shorter play that came courtesy of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on the first drive of the game.
With the 49ers facing third down and three at their own 32-yard line, Garoppolo dropped back before stepping up in the pocket and taking off on a scramble in an effort to gain a first down. The quarterback is still attempting to prove he’s recovered from a high ankle sprain that forced him to miss time early in the season, but he successfully evaded a tackler and picked up four yards to extend a drive that ultimately ended with Wilson’s first score of the game.
Where there's a Wilson there's a way.#SFvsNE on CBS pic.twitter.com/0EaiFP8P3s
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 25, 2020
