Jimmy Garoppolo led the San Francisco 49ers in a rout of the Carolina Panthers, 37-15, on the road in Week 5 of the 2022 NFL season. The 49ers climbed to 3-2 and are in first place in the NFC West. Here we'll look at some takeaways from the 49ers’ convincing Week 5 win.
There were highlights aplenty for Niners fans to chew on. Garoppolo passed for 253 yards and two touchdowns. Emmanuel Moseley intercepted Panthers QB Baker Mayfield and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown. Jeff Wilson rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown, while Tevin Coleman scored twice for the 49ers. Coleman had been promoted to the active roster earlier in the week.
Yes, don't forget that the 49ers defeated the Panthers for the 10th time in 11 games. The Panthers have dropped to 1-4 in the season and just fired head coach Matt Rhule. To compound things, they may have also lost Mayfield to injury as he will undergo an ankle MRI on Monday.
Here are our four takeaways from the 49ers' Week 5 win vs. the Panthers.
Let's keep stacking Ws.#FTTB pic.twitter.com/PpRTwV0bms
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 10, 2022
4. George Kittle gets season-high touches
Star 49ers TE George Kittle's lack of touches became an issue in the week leading up to the Panthers game. Keep in mind that Kittle returned after missing the first two weeks with a groin injury to record 52 yards on six catches in his first two games of the season.
He was targeted six times on Sunday and caught five passes for 47 yards, all in the first half. That's an indication that things are looking up for Kittle. We feel like his breakthrough game appears to be on the way, and the fact that the 49ers used him so frequently in the first half on Sunday is a very good sign that he's rounding into game shape.
3. Welcome to the San Francisco Sack Show
The 49ers' defense has been one of the best in the league so far. Not surprisingly, they added six more sacks on Sunday, giving them a league-high 21 in the first five weeks.
Charles Omenihu and Drake Jackson had a sack each, giving them a total of 2.0 for the season. Additionally, each of the following players had their first sack of the season: Fred Warner, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, and Talanoa Hufanga. Tashaun Gipson and Oren Burks each contributed half a sack.
Take note that through the first five weeks, 11 different 49ers have at least one sack. That's a testament to this team's defensive depth, grit, and execution.
2. Emmanuel Moseley, get well soon
As mentioned above, Greensboro native Emmanuel Moseley picked Baker Mayfield and returned it for 41 yards for his first career score against the Panthers. San Francisco led 17-3 at halftime thanks to his touchdown. The 49ers notched a pick-6 for the second time in as many games. Moseley also had two pass defenses before being ruled out with a knee injury late in the fourth quarter.
Speaking of that injury, some within the 49ers organization believe he has a ruptured ACL. The team is still awaiting the official results of an MRI to confirm the diagnosis.
This is not good news as the 49ers are already dealing with a spate of injured personnel. In addition, Nick Bosa, Jimmie Ward, and Robbie Gould all suffered injuries on Sunday. It's coming to the point where the 49ers may be unable to handle their injury concerns. Of course, we all hope for the best for Moseley and hope he gets well as soon as possible.
1. A balanced offense is a good offense
Although there were several spectacular plays on Sunday, the 49ers had contributions from nearly all of their offensive weapons. They had four guys go over 40 yards receiving. These were Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, Jauan Jennings, and Tevin Coleman. The 49ers have only had four guys with 40-plus receiving yards in a single game six times since 2019.
We already mentioned how Jeff Wilson rushed for 120 yards, while, on the flip side, Deebo Samuel still reached the end zone despite having an uncharacteristically quiet day.
This version of San Francisco's offense is extremely difficult to stop. QB Jimmy Garoppolo completed 60 percent of his throws at 8.4 yards per attempt and no turnovers. This was his third start of the season, and it was his finest to date.
Overall, he completed 18-of-30 passes for 253 yards and a touchdown, good for a passer rating of 109.4. Garoppolo's triple-digit rating is his best of the 2022 regular season and his greatest since December 2021 against the Atlanta Falcons. Garoppolo is clearly playing better now that the team's offensive flow has improved. It looks like 49ers fans have a lot to look forward to when they face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6.
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