It's Time to Start Breaking Some Rules: A Review of the 49ers' Week 7 Loss

“Their strength and their speed are still based in a world that is built on rules. Because of that, they will never be as strong, or as fast, as you can be.” – Morpheus. The Matrix.

While it would make for the most uninspiring pre-game speech in football history, I would not be surprised if Morpheus’ quote from The Matrix was Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s mantra in Week 7.

The San Francisco 49ers did very little right on offense. They barely mustered 101 yards on the ground, and third-year veteran Brock Purdy had one of his worst outings as a professional. His 36.7 quarterback rating was the lowest in his career, and his 54.8% completion percentage was his third worst.

Spagnuolo immobilized head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense, almost as if he knew what Shanahan would call at any given time. There were multiple moments where an unblocked Chiefs’ defender would stop a run for a minimal gain, or the secondary was in a perfect spot to break up a play.

Failure is a bastard child. Nobody wants it, yet the masses will scorch the earth to find the father and hand him the stench of cigarettes and shame.

Shanahan is getting his fair share of blame for a sluggish season. I believe in his offense, and Shanahan’s system works—just look around the NFL at the multiple teams using his work.

Further, it’s clear Shanahan alters and evolves his playbook. I’ve seen plays where he’s taken two different combinations and put them into something new. He’s also made changes to the ground attack, finding multiple ways to run a staple run like ‘Zorro.’

However, this season, Shanahan seems rigid and has lost the element of surprise. His structure and scheme are great, but opposition seems to know where the flaws are and how best to attack them.

Below are a few examples from the Week 7 loss that show how Spagnuolo seemed to know what was coming and where Shanahan can still be innovative. You can also check out a few more examples on my Week 7 thread on X.

1st Quarter – 1 and 10 at the KC 45 (9:10)

I’m always amazed that Shanahan’s movement plays, which are glorified flood concepts, are almost always suitable for a 10-25-yard gain. Like any play, they may not always succeed, but these seem always to have a man open and result in a spark.

But not against the Chiefs.

 On the 49ers' second possession, Shanahan called in ‘West Left Slow Fake 19 F Sift X Takeoff’ (or T.O.). As usual, the play sold an outside zone to the left, and Purdy rolled back to his right to scan the field.

At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk stutter and look back when he hits the 30-yard line and then take off upfield. That’s the takeoff route, which I haven’t seen in a while.

Wide receiver Deebo Samuel ran a quick out, which makes sense since he suffered from pneumonia.

Tight end George Kittle, on the left of the formation, ran a hi-cross, while fullback Kyle Juszczyk executed a sift block before leaking into the field.

Usually, the intermediate route is open, but Spagnuolo had his defense ready. The Chiefs were in a Cover 1 with a single-high safety. Kittle was trailed across the field by defensive back Chamarri Conner.

Chiefs’ safety Justin Reid picked up on the play early and started to break toward Kittle before the ball even left Purdy’s hand. The throw also appeared short, and Reid made an easier jump on the ball for the interception.

Reid’s interception and how well the Chiefs covered the play were ominous signs of what was to unfold.

4th Quarter – 1 and 10 at the SF 42 (13:01)

Despite the sluggish play, the 49ers were only nine points down early in the 4th quarter. The team just needed a little lightning to regenerate, and Shanahan called in one of his big-hitting plays on the third play of the 10th possession: X Read F Rail.

You might be familiar with the ‘rail’ concept. It’s when Juszczyk runs alone down the sideline but is overthrown by then-quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Since then, Shanahan’s called it, and Purdy has succeeded.

It’s a great play because it catches the defense sleeping, and in combination with the ‘read’ route, it adds extra stress to the secondary.

Now, the Chiefs were wildly confused on the play. You’ll need to note the four defenders assembled at the 'SF' logo, looking for someone to cover. Shanahan finally had dialed something up to confuse everyone.

But it didn’t confuse linebacker Leo Chenal, who didn’t bite on the fake handoff or Juszczyk’s block. Chenal stuck with Juszczyk up the sideline and broke up a well-thrown ball from Purdy.

Now, Purdy kept the offense driving and made it down to the Chiefs’ five-yard line, but had his arm hit and threw an ugly pass into double coverage, resulting in his third interception on the day.

This Sunday is an ideal time for Shanahan to remove some of the walls he has artificially set up and let loose on his play-calling. Throwing in a wild formation or a few plays he hasn’t called in a few years certainly cannot hurt the current trajectory of the 49ers’ offense.

Fortunately, Shanahan has had Dallas’ number over the last three matchups, including last year’s primetime 42-10 bludgeoning of the nation’s supposed ‘team.’ I fully expect that trend to continue. As usual, Dallas and its bandwagon fanbase has over-inflated its ego and expectations and I want to watch the misplaced hopes and dreams of millions of silver-star wearing fools implode like a dwarf star.

 All images and videos courtesy of NFL.com, except the cover image which is courtesy of myself and a ticket to 49ers-Bengals in 2023.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless noted.