49ers ace test against Panthers

SANTA CLARA - Who are these guys?

Two years ago, the 49ers were 0-7. Nobodies. Now, they’re 7-0 and famous. After they annihilated the Carolina Panthers ?51-13 on Sunday afternoon, former Packers great Brett Favre wandered through the 49ers locker room holding a George Kittle bobblehead doll, searching for Kittle, hoping he would sign it.

“Anything for a fan,” Kittle said to the Hall of Fame quarterback.

Favre blushed like a teenager.

The Panthers were supposed to be the 49ers’ first real test. The Panthers came into the game with a 4-2 record, and had won four games in a row. But, they were no match for the 49ers. The Panthers never really ?competed. They finished with 12 first downs and 230 measly net yards.

“You never expect to blow someone out, especially a good team like that,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game. “They’re a real good team. This team will be around at the end of the year. They can run the ball. They play really good defense. Our team was just ready to go.”

The 49ers took a 27-3 lead in the first half. Their running back, Tevin Coleman, was particularly exceptional. He finished the game with 118 yards from scrimmage, rushed for three touchdowns and caught a touchdown pass as well. Coleman is the only 49ers player since the NFL-AFL merger other than Jerry Rice to score four touchdowns in one game.

“He knows what he wants,” Shanahan said. “He knows how to play in the offense. He had some good looks today. And when Tevin has a good look, he can usually get it across the end zone.”

As a team, the 49ers ran for a gargantuan 232 yards. Meaning Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t have to do much. He threw mostly screen passes and dump offs. He attempted only 22 passes, threw for just 175 yards, tossed two touchdown passes and one interception and posted an impressive quarterback rating of 111.2.

Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who came to the 49ers in a trade on Tuesday, caught one of Garoppolo’s touchdown passes. “Having a savvy vet like (Sanders) just makes you comfortable as a quarterback,” Garoppolo said.

Sanders finished with four catches for 25 yards.

The 49ers’ defense played well, too. Rookie defensive end Nick Bosa recorded three sacks, and even intercepted a pass. “He was pretty damn impressive,” Shanahan said of Bosa. “I’m sure when I watch the tape, he’ll even look better. That interception was one of the more impressive plays I’ve seen from a D-lineman.”

Here’s what happened during the interception from Bosa’s perspective: “I saw the quarterback’s eyes, and just jumped. The ball went right into my hands.”

Coming into the game, Allen had never thrown an interception in his brief career, and his quarterback rating was 107.9. He seemed like a viable long-term replacement for Newton, who struggled the past few seasons. But, against the 49ers, Allen threw three picks and his quarterback rating was a miniscule 28.9. He played so poorly, he may have revived Newton’s career in Carolina.

“Allen obviously has been doing a good job in Cam’s absence,” Bosa said. “But, whenever it’s a (young) quarterback, we always see some opportunity. And with our D-line, there’s an opportunity against anybody.”

Allen got intercepted by Bosa, cornerback Emmanuel Moseley and veteran cornerback Richard Sherman. “In this game, as you get older, people lose respect for you,” Sherman said. “(Dante) Pettis is friends with the Panthers quarterback, and Pettis said, ‘Hey, man, his plan is to go at you.’ I don’t know if (Allen) said it, but Pettis said he said it, so it pissed me off.”

Note to backup quarterbacks: Don’t piss off Sherman.

Despite Allen’s mistakes, the Panthers had an opportunity to climb back in the game during the second half.

The 49ers had the ball at their five-yard line, and Shanahan called a pass play with a seven-step drop that put Garoppolo in the end zone. He instantly got sacked by Panthers outside linebacker Bruce Irvin, who recorded the safety. And the Panthers cut the 49ers’ lead to 27-5.

“I was kicking myself for that call,” Shanahan said. “(Garoppolo) had no chance on that. Jimmy did a good job protecting the ball, not making it worse. Taking the safety probably was the best play because it was the only play.”

Three plays later, Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey sprinted 40 yards for a touchdown. “That was a sloppy play on our behalf,” Sherman said. “We could have gotten that stop.”

The Panthers went for the two-point conversion and converted it. Suddenly, the score was 27-13 49ers with 11:15 left in the third quarter. The Panthers had cut their deficit to just two touchdowns

But, the Panthers never scored again. The 49ers simply dismissed them.

After the game, certain Panthers players were in denial. “If you ask me, man, they’re a good team,” Irvin said, referring to the 49ers, “but they’re no better than us.”

Get real, Bruce.

Sherman appreciated the insult. “It doesn’t matter if they respect us or not,” Sherman said. “The next team that steps in front of us is going to have to deal with us.”

Notes

Matt Breida left the game with an ankle injury and did not return. “He was trying to go back in,” Shanahan said. “We probably would have given him a chance if the score wasn’t what it was and we didn’t have to play Thursday. Hopefully, he’ll be alright by Thursday.”

The 49ers play the Cardinals on Thursday in Arizona.