The San Francisco 49ers got off to an early lead over the Los Angeles Chargers after defensive back Antone Exum's pick-six touchdown on the Niners' first defensive stand. Here are your first-half updates and analysis.
It didn't take long for the San Francisco 49ers to find the end zone in Week 4 on the road versus the Los Angeles Chargers. But the score didn't come from quarterback C.J. Beathard and the offense.
No, it was fill-in Niners safety Antone Exum, who picked off Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers on 3rd-and-10 and ran it in for a touchdown from 32 yards out. With starting safeties Jaquiski Tartt (shoulder) and Adrian Colbert sidelined early, Exum and rookie defensive back D.J. Reed got the start deep in the backfield.
Smart move, apparently.
The 49ers forced a 3-and-out on L.A.'s following offensive drive, although wide receiver Dante Pettis suffered what appeared to be a knee injury on the subsequent punt-return attempt:
Pettis was able to return to the sidelines, which is good. But it was another 49ers wide receiver, Kendrick Bourne, who doubled the Niners' first-quarter lead with a two-yard touchdown grab from Beathard to help put San Francisco up 14-0 early.
The Chargers answered back late in the first quarter, though, as Rivers found veteran tight end Antonio Gates wide open in the end zone for a touchdown from five yards out. But L.A. kicker Caleb Sturgis, who missed a field goal earlier, failed to convert on the extra-point attempt to keep the Niners' lead 14-6.
L.A. wasn't blitzing as much as it might have liked in the first half, although rookie safety Derwin James came on a blitz and ended up blocking a would-be pass from Beathard. According to Pro Football Focus, both the Chargers' losses this season have come when the defense blitzed less than league average. So, perhaps, that changes in the second half.
The lack of blitzing likely led to the Niners engineering a 21-play drive that spanned nearly 11 minutes, culminating in a 21-yard field goal by kicker Robbie Gould to put San Francisco up 17-6.
The Chargers endangered the lead late, though, as running back Austin Ekeler hauled in a 22-yard touchdown with 47 seconds left in the half. L.A. subsequently converted on the two-point attempt to make it a three-point game. And after a late 3-and-out by the 49ers, the Chargers' Desmond King returned a punt 56-yards, which led to a game-tying field goal from Sturgis to close out the half.
San Francisco was 4-of-7 on third-down attempts in the first half, helping rectify what had been a problem for much of the season thus far. Running back Matt Breida wasn't much of a factor on the ground, though, having just 15 yards on five carries over the first two quarters.
Injuries bit San Francisco again early. In addition to Pettis, tackles Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey suffered injuries. Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin was shaken up towards the tail of the first half. Those three's returns will be vital for the Niners' prospects to pull off the win in Week 4.
The Niners start off the second half on offense.
