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Heading into Week 3 of the 2024 NFL season, the San Francisco 49ers found themselves in a unique spot.
On one hand, they had an absolute ton of talent on the injury report, with George Kittle and Deebo Samuel unavailable for Brock Purdy, Kyle Shanahan, and company. But then again, the Rams were down plenty of players, too, with their offensive line still not 100 percent, their depth a serious question mark, and their top two receivers, Cooper Kupp, and Puka Nacua, expected to miss multiple weeks. Even in a certified “Attrition Bowl,” the 49ers would seemingly have the edge overall, right?
On paper, yes, but in practice, things turned out very differently, with the Rams keeping their foes off balance and ultimately stealing their first win of the season 27-24 in a SoCal stunner.
What happened? How did a team with Super Bowl aspirations like the 49ers fall to 1-2, tied up with teams like the Rams and trailing the Seattle Seahawks by two games? Well, needless to say, multiple players simply didn't deliver when the 49ers needed them to, and they suffered the consequences as a result.
1. Javon Hargrave
After mildly underwhelming versus expectations in 2023 after making the jump from the Philadelphia Eagles to the 49ers, it looked like 2024 was going to be a make-or-break season for Javon Hargrave in San Francisco.
Widely celebrated as a dynamic interior pass rusher capable of changing the game on the interior while Nick Bosa dominated on the outside, Hargrave really hasn't stood out from the pack as a member of Shanahan's defensive line, recording just seven sacks recorded last season and only one in 2024, in Week 3, against the Rams.
While his ability to take down Matthew Stafford was impressive, it would, unfortunately, serve as his final highlight of the 2024 NFL season, as just a few snaps later, he suffered a partially torn right triceps that sent him to the locker room and effectively ended his season on the spot.
Fortunately, all hope is not lost that Hargrave will return later this season, as during his post-game media availability, Shanahan revealed that he could still return in time for the playoffs, even if it's not guaranteed.
“I believe so,” Shanahan told reporters. “But when you, whether you partially tear it or tear it, we’re recommending surgery, so when you get surgery, that’s usually, it’s a few months at least. If there was a chance, it’d have to be late in the playoffs.”
Is it a tad unfortunate for Hargrave to be considered a reason the 49ers lost when he was actually playing a very good game? Maybe so, but when you consider how much the 49ers invested in him as a player and how his play tailed off in the fourth quarter, it's hard not to be discouraged by how things turned out all around.
2. The 49ers' wide receivers minus Jauan Jennings
While Hargraves' play down the stretch can probably be blamed on his injury, the same can't be said about Brandon Aiyul and Ronnie Ball who came into the game looking to make some plays for a 49ers offense without George Kittle and Deebo Samuel but ended up costing their team more than they produced on the field.
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The most egregious gaffe of the game likely belongs to Ball, who dropped not one but two key passes for the 49ers that could have altered the game considerably. He was targeted three times, only caught one ball, and finished off the game with 12 yards versus 30 offensive snaps and had fans requesting that he not be afforded any more chances moving forward.
Equally egregious was the play of Brandon Aiyuk, who was targeted 10 times but only caught five of the balls thrown his way for 48 yards. Granted, those numbers ranked second on the team, but in a game without Aiyuk and Kittle, most fans expected more from the 49ers' top position player, especially since he had the targets to do something, as opposed to a player like, say, Kyle Juszcyk, who was only targeted once.
Really, the only 49ers' receiver who actually came through was Jauan Jennings, the team's typical WR3 who turned in the game of his life with 11 catches on 12 targets for 175 yards with only a long of 34. Factor in three receiving touchdowns, and Jennings is a big reason why this game was even close, as without him, the 49ers would have been in trouble.
Was it impressive to see Jennings turn in an incredible effort in Week 3? Yes, as a long-time member of the 49ers who has often been tasked with doing the dirty work as a hybrid receiver/blocker, it was nice to see Jennings get his due. Unfortunately, it probably isn't sustainable long-term, as after averaging just 25.8 yards per game with the 49ers, Jennings isn't going to magically turn into Aiyuk, who is being paid to play like his 2023 self, instead of like his efforts in Week 3.
3. Jake Moody
Ever since he was drafted in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft, Jake Moody has been playing catchup with a large segment of the NFL audience.
Tasked with translating immediately from Michigan to the Bay Area, with the added difficulty spike of replacing an all-time great Big 10 kicker in Robbie Gould, no less, Moody made 21 of his 25 kicks in 2023 and only missed one extra point during the regular season while going 6-8 from the field and 8-9 from extra point in the playoffs.
And in Week 3, Moody's occasional inconsistency reared its ugly head once more, with the collegiate Wolverine going 0-1 from beyond 50 and 1-2 on the game in easily the worst game of his season thus far, especially when you consider his team lost by three to a Rams team that was fighting for its football life following an ugly loss to the Arizona Cardinals and a string of injuries across the board.
Will Moody rebound? Yes, while his miss was brutal for a team that didn't seem to have too much luck on the day, he was far from the 49ers' biggest issue in Week 3. Still, if he starts to slip and a missed kick starts to become the regular for the team moving forward, then who knows? Maybe the 49ers will have to evaluate their options a few weeks down the line.
