The 49ers offense pounded the middle, as they are wont to do. The question, as always, was whether or not they would drop it. A 20-yard reception to Brandon Aiyuk put the offense in the red zone. An Elijah Mitchell carry provided the first offense. And before you knew it, it was inside the 5-yard line. The offense couldn’t hit it after failing to run in the teeth of the defense and they had to settle for a field goal. So an impressive drive stalled and the Niners couldn’t answer with a touchdown. So it became 7-3 after one possession. The defense forced their way, but Brandon Ayuk, after taking a big hit from Derwin James, punted the ball away on a 20-yard reception. This put the defense in a difficult position as they faced a short field from the 32 yard line. The Chargers gained five yards on three plays before settling for a field goal. That made the score 10-3. Both teams traded points, with three straight three-and-outs. But Mitch Wisnowski had a twist that was deflected, not blocked, which meant another short field for the defense. They gave up 39 yards after Jimmy Ward gave up an explosive play. To be fair to him, Justin Herbert did throw a perfect pass: Looking at 1st & goal from the 2, the defense didn’t budge. A sack by Nick Bosa and an open field tackle by Jimmie helped hold the Chargers to another field goal. That made the score 13-3. The 49ers needed an answer and they got one. A 9-play, 75-yard drive that saw George Kittle pick up 21 yards after Jimmy missed Deebo wide open on 2nd and 12. But Garoppolo opened it up with one of the best, if not the best, throws of the season to Ray- Ray McCloud down the right sideline for a 33. Garoppolo capped the drive with a 1-yard sneak. The defense gave up a goal before halftime after Herbert used his legs on several plays. Dre Greenlaw ejected after a helmet-to-helmet hit. The quarterback was a runner, so there’s no real reason to throw. You also can’t prove there was anything malicious from Greenlaw. I’m not usually the “throw the flag” type, but the refs had their fair share of mistakes tonight. Deebo Samuel was covered. Nick Bosa was retained. Jake Brendel was called for a tic-tac-toe call. I wish the referees would step away from the game and let the players play. The defense didn’t allow much after that goal. From the opening drive, the 49ers defense had forced 4 punts and held the Chargers to two field goals when they took over Niner territory. They allowed a field goal late in the first half, but DeMeco Ryans and company were shut down from the opening drive. It had to be because the offense couldn’t find the end zone. Aiyuk threw a pass on third and goal that would have been a touchdown. On their next drive, the 49ers went 14 plays for 77 yards on a drive that lasted 6:59. Garoppolo stood up against the blitz and Ayuck made a tough grab before McCaffrey found the end zone. Unfortunately, Robbie Gould missed the extra point to make it 19-16. It felt like a monumental failure. The 49ers, seemingly, can never do things the easy way. Instead of forcing the Chargers to score a touchdown, they left the door open for Los Angeles to tie the game with a field goal. But the defense didn’t seem interested in allowing them to move the ball, as Nick Bosa picked up his second sack of the game and Azeez Al-Shaair made a tackle to help get the defense off the field to force another 3- outside too. The 49ers faced 3rd and 9 with just over four minutes left in the game. It was a critical down and Garoppolo threw a dart outside the numbers to Aiyuk to pick up 11 yards for a first down. After a punt, Mitch Wishnowsky pinned the Chargers at the 1-yard line with just over two minutes to play. Los Angeles got to the 8-yard line, elected to go for it on 4th-and-2, and Jordan Willis was pressured to make Herbert’s throw. The 49ers play with a different level of ferocity and violence defensively. Add in the team’s speed and it’s easy to see why he scored in this half. It’s a fun unit to watch. Remember, there are plenty of backups on the field, but you’d have no idea. The Chargers had some big plays, but on a down-down basis, the defense was incredible. The Chargers had a 32 percent success rate offensively. That’s 22 percentage points lower than the 49ers. That’s right, the game ended with an interception by Talanoa Hufanga. It wasn’t pretty, but it never is with this team. 22-16, 49ares win.
