Challenge this: 49ers dominate Panthers in first half
It would be conventional wisdom to believe the 49ers would feel the injuries on offense. But that point never came during the first half of Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers.
Coach Kyle Shanahan did a masterful job at dialing up running plays and short passes, with starting tackles Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey sidelined in sweat suits, as San Francisco jumped out to a 27-3 halftime lead on the Panthers, who entered Sunday 4-2, with four consecutive victories before a bye week.
Running back Tevin Coleman scored three touchdowns and receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who was recently acquired from the Denver Broncos, made his presence felt immediately with a touchdown catch on San Francisco’s first possession. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had an outstanding first half, completing 14 of 17 for 134 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for a 114.2 passer rating.
The defensive line also made things nearly impossible for Carolina quarterback Kyle Allen. He was sacked six times, three coming from rookie Nick Bosa and two from Arik Armstead. Nose tackle D.J. Jones also logged his first career sack.
Sanders’ touchdown came after lining up in the left slot and running a short out near the goal line. It was his second catch on the drive after making the game’s first reception. It was set up by a 15-yard shovel pass to Matt Breida.
The 49ers got a three-and-out on the next series thanks to Bosa’s third-down sack, giving him five on the season. But Garoppolo gave the ball right back to Carolina on the first snap of his next possession when he telegraphed a pass over the middle to George Kittle that was snagged by All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly. It led to a 41-yard field goal from Joey Slye that made it 7-3.
Coleman capped the following series with a 19-yard touchdown run, his third of the season, as he cut up the middle and knifed through the Panthers secondary. It came a snap after Kittle had a touchdown pass negated by offensive pass interference on Deebo Samuel. The scored was aided by a 29-yard pass to Kittle that included a personal foul on safety Tre Boston for a hit to a defenseless receiver.
Coleman scored his second touchdown of the game in the second quarter on a 10-yard screen to the left. His third was a 48-yard romp through the left side of Carolina’s defense. Coleman had 101 yards of offense while the Panthers had just 76. The 49ers had 254 yards of offense with 16 first downs to Carolina’s five.
This story was originally published October 27, 2019 at 2:35 PM.
