49ers Survive Injuries to Dominate Carolina with 37-15 Win on the Road

The San Francisco 49ers start their two week road trip with a win Sunday, dominating the Carolina Panthers, 37-15, to improve to 3-2 on the new season.

From start to finish Sunday’s victory could be attributed to the defense, stifling Carolina at every turn. When the 49ers offense were unable to seize an opportunity, the defense came up with big plays, forcing the Panthers into frustration.

The game truly flipped at the end of the second quarter, when cornerback Emmanuel Moseley picked off quarterback Baker Mayfield on an errant pass, taking it to the endzone for a 41-yard score. The big play put the 49ers up by two scores going into the second half.

First career pick-six for the North Carolina kid! @Mannymoseley

📺 #SFvsCAR on CBS pic.twitter.com/bbVgjtllGX

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 9, 2022

Other standouts defensively were linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, running sideline to sideline like they were hunting prey. Warner finished with nine combined tackles, one sack and one pass break-up. The latter finished with eleven combined tackles.

In the secondary, cornerback Charvarius Ward had one of his best games of the season.

The veteran cover man registered four PBUs against the Panthers, each more difficult than the last. His ability to get his hands in-between the ball and wide receiver has solidified his status as the No.1 CB on the roster, signing a lucrative deal in the offseason.

@itslilmooney is strapping every week for the @49ers

— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) October 9, 2022

Mayfield was held to 215 passing yards, no touchdowns and one INT Sunday afternoon.

The defense only gave up one touchdown in total, once again demonstrating that the red & gold have the best unit in the NFL.

Unfortunately, Sunday’s big win may prove costly for the 49ers as injuries began to pile up from the opening kickoff.

Safety Jimmie Ward (hamstring) made his season debut in Week 5, coming off the injury reserve the day prior. His day ended after the first snap, suffering a hand injury that kept him out for the remainder of the contest. Shanahan confirmed postgame that his captain broke his hand, and a timeline is still uncertain.

The biggest injuries came in the second half as All-Pro defensive end Nick Bosa was ruled out in the third quarter after suffering a groin injury. His recovery timeline is also unclear at this time.

Kicker Robbie Gould also suffered a knee contusion Sunday, missing most of the fourth quarter.

Worst of all, Moseley pulled up late in the forth quarter with an apparent knee injury after coming up with a pass break-up downfield. He was seen clutching his knee on the ground, before being helped off the field by teammates.

Initial tests have the team believing it could be a season-ending ACL injury for the veteran cornerback.

“It was tough at the end. It was a weird feeling watching E-man. It definitely took away a little from the excitement,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said postgame Sunday.

Moseley, 26, is set to be a free agent after the 2022 season. Depending on the severity of the injury, his contract negotiations will be a topic of speculation as we get closer to March.

On the offense, QB Jimmy Garoppolo was as efficient and effective as ever, finish the day with 253 yards passing, two TDs and a 109.4 passer rating.

If Jimmy Garoppolo plays like this week in and week out the 49ers are going to be extremely difficult to beat

— Brad (@Graham_SFN) October 9, 2022

Looking decisive and calculated, the offense followed a similar philosophy to last week: Get the ball in the hands of your playmakers. Tight end George Kittle was a factor early on, snagging four catches in the first quarter alone. He finished with five for 47 yards on six targets.

The wideouts also played a big role, dinking a dunking their way down the field against Carolina. Brandon Aiyuk lead the way with three receptions for 58 yards. Deebo Samuel was held in check most of Sunday, only catching two of nine targets for 20 yards.

“I thought that there was a number of things we missed today,” Shanahan stated about his offense. “But guys made a ton of plays.”

The key to Sunday’s victory was in the rushing attack, amassing over 150 yards on the ground for the 49ers. Running backs Jeff Wilson Jr. and Tevin Coleman split the workload, both proving effective with the ball in open field.

Jeff Wilson Jr. cooking early 🍳pic.twitter.com/cDqQsGILt2

— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) October 9, 2022

Wilson got the party started early, breaking off a 41-yard run down the Panthers sideline to go first and goal on the opening possession. That set up Coleman for an easy screen pass by Garoppolo, weaving his way to the endzone to opening the scoring. A nine-yard pass that resulted in Coleman’s first TD since 2019.

Sticking to the game-plan, Wilson continued to churn out yards, angrily marching down the field to set the 49ers up in plus territory. He finished with 120 yards rushing, the most since Week 15 last season for San Francisco.

Coleman added 23 yards rushing, 44 yard receiving, and two TDs as well.

“I love when anyone gets in the end-zone for us and Tevins’ been awesome, it’s great to have him back here,” Shanahan added.

A game of dominance and demise, the 49ers will stay at The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia this week as they prepare for the Atlanta Falcons next Sunday.

“It’s football. We’ve got to keep going. Train ain’t stopping,” a confident Jimmy Garoppolo exclaimed Sunday.

Follow @AmilianoFragoso

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