Film analysis of the NFCCG

Not sure this thread will do any good. I was going to add to the other all22 film thread, but I didn't like that thread title. If people are done with this game, I get it. I'll try to go in chronological order so we hit the good and the bad. I have mainly watched the 49er passing plays because that's what interests me the most when reviewing a game.

The 49ers made a conscious effort to attack the middle of the field at the linebacker level with the passing game. This makes a lot of sense against a predominantly cover3 defense. With 3 deep defenders (one being a very good FS), that leaves 4 to cover the underneath. Attacking this secondary deep would also require good protection to get vertical, something Kap was not afforded on most dropbacks. So it works in the 49ers favor to have quick developing plays with short routes that try to stretch the 4 underneath defenders. Notice how many routes over the middle of the field were targeted and all the curl routes being ran. Throws to the outside were mainly designed to beat man coverage.

SEA played a lot of mixed coverage in an effort to confuse. This was evident in the much talked about INT. SEA did this many times throughout the game. What I mean is, the CBs (Maxwell, Sherman) were doing different things on any given pass play. One would be playing press man while the other played over the top/deep zone.

Yellow routes are completions. Orange are incompletions. Only pass attempts that show up on the stat sheet are shown below:

1st Quarter:


2nd Quarter:

3rd Quarter:


4th Quarter:

First big play of the game is the first play from scrimmage.

SEA will use play action to get a hi-low read for RW. 49ers are in what seems to be a cover3.


Below: After the playaction, the ILBs bite hard, as well as Whitner. The rest of the secondary stay disciplined, especially Reid who has not lost his depth as the deep safety. If he's somewhere near the 32 yard line, he would not be a good position. This shows he's looking at the WR split wide who runs the crosser, not the backfield.


Below: Reid comes across the field to cover the WR that was wide, but that WR takes Reid to his buddy running the deep corner route. RW, who started to pull the trigger, gave it a second thought. This allows Aldon to quickly close and strip the ball.

55 replys and not 1 "expert" ....Which im not

The possession after the fumble recovery went:

1st down: Gore off LT for +2 yards.
2nd down: Crabs catch over the middle for +2 yards.

Here's the 3rd down play. The 49ers spread the formation and call a designed QB draw. From top to bottom are some of the blocks by the 49ers. Boldin sticks the weak side LB. Staley will block a ghost. Goodwin will pass on VD's man and go for the safety. Gore will get caught in garbage behind the line of scrimmage and block no one. VD (red block) will block the LB.



Below: Kap is about to break the line of scrimmage, he's barely visible in this view (can see his helmet). Because Gore got caught up behind the line of scrimmage, he's parallel with Kap. Hard to throw a block when you are parallel to the ball carrier (and slower). VD takes the outside shoulder of the LB. Can't tell where this play was specifically designed to go, but VD's block doesn't jive with what Staley and Boldin are doing. They are making in position that suggest the run is designed to go towards the left.


Below: The red arrow is where Kap might have been able to take this if VD held his block.

or a jump pass to boldin on the left side..

The next SEA possession went 3&out. The 49ers had to stop a 3rd and 1 situation.

SEA calls a zone right run. 49ers put 8 in the box with a 9th close by (Whitner)

Bird's eye view: SEA in their 22 personnel.




Below: RayMac is double teamed and is driven back (blue square). The LG will cut block on Dorsey. The center moves off Dorsey and goes for Willis. Someone is not accounted for.


Below: Bow shoots the gap.


Below: (close to) Same moment in time as picture above. Brooks dominates his TE block and is in the backfield. The edge is set, with authority. Bow is zeroed in on Lynch and fills the gap created by the double team block on RayMac.


Gain of zero.

WTF I SAW 2 CUT BLOCKS..

The 49ers wanted to use Kap as a weapon in the run game. Aikman mentioned during the telecast that since SEA likes to crowd the line of scrimmage, using Kap as a runner would provide an extra blocker in the run game (Gore).

Below: The CB will drop back to a deep zone when the play looked like a play action pass. The LE takes himself out of the play by crashing down the Oline. Vance will come across the formation to be a lead blocker.


Below: Even though Kap fakes it to the wrong side of Gore, the playaction will affect the ILBs.




Below: Notice the position of the ILBs from the top pic to this one. That's about two false steps each.


Below: A nice convoy for Kap with Vance and Gore leading. VD gets away with a slight hold on Chancellor.

that play was awesome to watch live.

Thank you for putting this together. I know rewatching for many of us is impossible. ...go niners.

I'll just go through the game chronologically to highlight some plays. Eventually I want to focus on the passing game, Kap's scrambling, and whether he had WRs open before he scrambled. It may be slow coming together, but I'll add when I can with the thought that no one wants to see a reminder of this game at the top of NT.

Been looking forward to this thread all week...keep'em coming!

Good work ... looking forward to more.

it seems like a lot of the blame for the loss has been heaped on kap for that last toss. what happened to reid on the beast run for a td and the 4th down td toss where we jumped offsides? (yes, i can't watch the game over again either.)

No, thanks a lot for this. I think these threads have really set a standard here for what forum discussion and analysis should be. Please keep posting and johnnydel too and I will review this later today.