Rampage
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- Mar 19, 2019
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The 49ers’ walk-off win over the Rams was fueled by a pair of converted third-and-16 attempts. So do the 49ers actually have a plan for third down and 16?
“We actually do, but yes, we do and it’s not a fun area,” coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the 34-31 win. “Until today. It went well, usually I get in I- formation and run the ball out of frustration, but that would have been bad in that situation so I’m glad I didn’t.”
Shanahan knows how hard it is to convert one of those plays; two on the same drive is unheard of.
“In the league, you watch some people on the year and it’s like one out of 20 or something,” Shanahan said. “Usually it’s such a low percentage that you don’t really try on third-and-16 much. Usually you just try to survive the down and get half of it and punt. But we were in a situation that we didn’t have that and I think we struggled on third down most of the day. Just have to get in longer distances, I guess.”
The first one came on a Freddie-Mitchell-fourth-and-26-style throw down the middle to Kendrick Bourne. The second featured a blown coverage.
“I think it was somebody flat footed in the middle of the field and we were able to get over the top of them,” Shanahan said regarding the long throw to Emmanuel Sanders. “It was a good throw, great route. Something we tried for earlier in the game, but we didn’t get the right coverage for it, but we got it there and guys made it happen.”
Indeed they did. And in making it happen, the 49ers avoided a 1-3 hole down the stretch, took a huge step toward the No. 1 seed, and knocked the defending NFC champions out of the postseason.