After a major setback with Trey Lance's season-ending injury in Week 2, it seems the San Francisco 49ers are on track for another solid season. On Sunday, the 49ers had a big 37-15 road win over the Carolina Panthers, improving their record to 3-2.
San Francisco is now at the top of the NFC West. With hopes of returning to the Super Bowl, the dominant win on Sunday shows the team can dream of postseason glory. Although it was against a rebuilding team that is now 1-4 and making a change at head coach, every win counts. These are the must-win games that could come back and bite a team later in the season in case the results are negative.
Some players certainly made a difference on Sunday. Without them, the game could have been a close one. With that being said, here are the four 49ers players most responsible for the win versus the Panthers in Week 5.
4. Jimmy Garoppolo
Jimmy Garoppolo initially suffered through some struggles after taking over for the injured Lance, but he is starting to find his groove. Against the Panthers, Garoppolo completed 18 of his 30 pass attempts for 253 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He averaged 8.4 yards per attempt and led the team to a successful 4-4 scoring in the red zone. The team also went 7-12 on third-down attempts. For the season, San Francisco is 3-1 in games with Garoppolo playing significant snaps. The veteran has completed 60.7% of his passes for 857 yards for five scores against just one pick.
Since joining the team, Garoppolo and the 49ers have made it to the NFC Championship game in all opportunities when he was healthy. His display in 2022 is showing that he still has much left in the tank. Should San Francisco have a long postseason run, it will be thanks to Garoppolo's resurgence.
3. Tevin Coleman
Perhaps one of the biggest surprises on Sunday was Tevin Coleman's impact on San Francisco's offense. The running back, who was part of the team's practice squad, was elevated ahead of Week 5. Fortunately for all parties, he did not disappoint.
Coleman finished the game with eight carries for 23 yards and a touchdown. He also caught all his three targets for 44 yards and a score, coming on a 9-yard pass from Garoppolo to start the scoring.
The quarterback later said in a postgame press conference that Coleman is very reliable and that he played an important role in the win:
“You know where he’s going to be. You know he’s going to do the right thing. Whenever you have a guy like that and you’re the quarterback, you can put that ball up there and trust him.”
Coleman is now making a case for a spot on the 53-man roster. His Sunday performance should certainly create some questions in head coach Kyle Shanahan's mind.
2. Emmanuel Moseley
While the offense was very important, the defensive unit had game-changing moments. One of them was perhaps the moment that sealed the deal for the 49ers and started the blowout.
In the final minute of the first half, cornerback Emmanuel Moseley intercepted Baker Mayfield's pass. The Niner returned for 41 yards and a touchdown, extending the lead to 17-3 instead of allowing a score by the Panthers.
After the pick, Carolina was never able to recover, and San Francisco ran away with the victory. Many other defenders had better performances than Moseley statistically. Fred Warner had a sack and two tackles for loss. Dre Greenlaw had 11 total tackles. But Moseley made the big play the team needed to close the half. With the Panthers putting some points on the board before halftime, things could have gone very different on Sunday.
Unfortunately, Moseley tore his ACL later in the game. It will be interesting to see how San Francisco will adapt without him. Now, fans will have to wait and see who will step up in the defensive unit.
1. Jeff Wilson Jr.
The offensive X-factor for the 49ers against Carolina was Jeff Wilson Jr. The running back, who missed half of the 2021 season with an injury, had his biggest game since returning.
He finished with game highs in carries (17) and rushing yards (120). He single-handedly outran the Panthers' offense, who had only 64 rushing yards despite having Christian McCaffrey. Excluding Wilson's numbers, the 49ers only had 33 yards on the ground.
In a game where Deebo Samuel only had 32 total yards, Wilson showed that he can be a reliable option when the Pro Bowler is not having a good day or is injured.
Wilson is on pace for the best season of his career. He already has 375 rushing yards and two touchdowns across five games. In 2020, he had 600 yards and seven rushing scores in 12 games. If he keeps up the high-level performance, San Francisco could have one of the scariest offenses in the league.