Defensive eye self-discipline may very well be decisive for 49ers in NFC championship recreation
The 49ers’ win over the Dallas Cowboys within the divisional spherical of the playoffs was one born largely of their defensive gamers’ capability to learn the sport, which can come underneath even larger scrutiny on Sunday because the Niners look to return to the Tremendous Bowl with victory over the Eagles within the NFC championship recreation.
San Francisco’s protection restricted Dallas to only 12 factors final Sunday in a recreation by which its again seven loved considered one of its best performances of what has been an incredible season for DeMeco Ryans’ unit.
All through an especially stingy displaying towards the Cowboys, a number of key gamers on the 49er protection allowed San Francisco to excel on that facet of the ball via their large eye self-discipline and success in diagnosing the sport.
One of many Niners’ stars in that regard final week was All-Professional security Talanoa Hufanga, who has been frequently derided for busts in protection in latest weeks, however produced an excellent efficiency on the excellent time to assist San Francisco into the convention championship.
Hufanga’s two spotlight reel performs have been a pair of completely timed blitzes on which he burst into the Dallas backfield unblocked, with Dak Prescott one way or the other capable of keep away from a sack on each events.
Past these two cross rushes, nevertheless, Hufanga made a sequence of spectacular performs in protection because the Niners restricted the Cowboys’ aerial assault.
Hufanga displayed glorious route recognition and understanding of his duties to stop Prescott from connecting with Dalton Schultz on a route bending over the center of the sphere. The second-year security was extraordinarily fast to set off on the route, however was disciplined sufficient to not make contact with Schultz too early.
Whereas identified for his aggressive taking part in type, Hufanga is a participant who depends on movie research and on his eyes to make the splash performs which have been a pre-eminent function of his first full season as a starter.
Hufanga’s eye self-discipline was essential to this cease towards the Cowboys, on which he threatened a blitz earlier than studying the play-fake between Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott and subsequently dropping into protection after which ending the play by getting downhill to cease Schultz after Prescott checked the ball all the way down to his tight finish.
Additionally pivotal to that play was linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who was not fooled by the backfield motion and demonstrated his proficiency in protection by instantly understanding his project and turning his hips to remove extensive receiver CeeDee Lamb on the over route over the center.
Overshadowed considerably by All-Professional linebacker Fred Warner’s success in protection towards Lamb, Greenlaw was excellent towards the Cowboys, delivering a efficiency that might have been capped by a pick-six had he caught the ball after displaying glorious read-and-react capability on this brief Prescott throw late within the fourth quarter.
The very best instance of the 49ers excelling on protection due to their personnel’s prowess for diagnosing the sport got here on Fred Warner’s red-zone interception. That decide was down predominantly to Jimmie Ward, who, understanding the wheel path to Schultz can be lined by Deommodore Lenoir with the Niners dropping to quarters, made no effort to comply with the tight finish into the flat and as an alternative broke in entrance of the brief throw to Lamb and tipped it into the grasp of Warner.
From Hufanga and Ward to Warner and Greenlaw, the 49ers have been project sound for many of their slim win over the Cowboys, combining their bodily items with sturdy diagnostic expertise to severely prohibit Dallas’ avenues to massive performs.
The issue the 49ers face within the NFC championship recreation is that the Eagles have considerably extra avenues to massive performs. Theirs is arguably essentially the most numerous run recreation within the NFL, with the extra working risk posed by quarterback Jalen Hurts permitting Philadelphia to position doubt within the minds of second-level defenders when trying to learn the mesh level.
Certainly, the twin threats of Hurts and Miles Sanders allow the Eagles to stretch defenses horizontally with their backfield motion, with the additional hesitation the previous can drive amongst defenders opening the RPO recreation and the display screen recreation for Philadelphia and making a plethora of straightforward buttons for the quarterback.
The 49ers can not enable themselves to be paralysed by that hesitation. Nevertheless, in addition they can not afford to constantly misdiagnose performs within the backfield towards a Philadelphia offense that, in A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert, has the top-tier weapons to punish San Francisco downfield if the Niners’ linebackers and safeties are caught out of place due to the complexity of the Philadelphia assault.
San Francisco reached this place partially due to the self-discipline of a protection that may match opposing offenses in its complexity. That self-discipline should not be allowed to slide for the 49ers to drag off the upset and ebook their place at Tremendous Bowl LVII.