49ers offense gives fans reason for hope as key injuries mount

An impressive 37-15 victory over Carolina moved the San Francisco 49ers into sole possession of first place in the NFC West. But the win did not come without significant cost.

It was never going to be easy for the San Francisco 49ers in 2022. That much is crystal clear just a month into the campaign.

Another week, another superstar injured.

Emmanuel Moseley, the team's star cornerback, was hurt while breaking up a pass deep downfield, and the 49ers confirmed he suffered an ACL injury on Sunday. That means the end of his season, which is brutal for Moseley personally (contract year) and for the 49ers as a squad.

Nick Bosa was also taken out with what was later described as groin tightness, and all we can do at this point is hope it's not a long-term issue. Also, after finally making his way back into the lineup, star safety Jimmie Ward broke his hand on his first action back.

Oh, and kicker Robbie Gould suffered a knee injury, which the team hopes was just a bruise.

Often, Garoppolo was dealing strikes while pressure closed in on him fast. His four-yard touchdown strike to Deebo Samuel was high-level quarterbacking. After the game, Samuel said that he wasn't necessarily the first read on that play, and upon re-watching it Garoppolo clearly wasn't looking there to begin with.

However, he did something that should encourage all of us who have had our concerns about his game. He didn't lock onto one guy. He maintained cool in the pocket, saw Samuel streaking across the field and delivered an absolute strike for six.

 He just had "it" on Sunday. And if the "has it" Jimmy keeps showing up throughout the 2022 season, the 49ers have a legitimate shot at winning it all.

49ers run game was rolling

Just as encouraging, the run game finally got going in a way that embodies the Kyle Shanahan offense for the first time in weeks. The team finished with 29 rushing attempts, averaging 5.3 yards per tote.

Jeff Wilson Jr. continues to be a shining light in between the tackles, racking up big yardage (120 yards on just 17 carries!) while scoring a rushing touchdown for the second week in a row.

Even better, Shanahan had a second back this week he could trust, and the results spoke for themselves.

Tevin Coleman wasn't as effective as Wilson in the run game, but he did carry the ball eight times for 23 yards and a touchdown. Just the carries alone took pressure off the offense as a whole and allowed it to stay on the field more than it had the past two games. The 49ers won the time-of-posession battle for the first time since Week 2.

Where Coleman really shined was in the pass game. He reeled in three-of-three targets for 44 yards, including a touchdown on a screen, and a 30-yard reception over a defender on a clutch play in the first quarter on third-and-four.

If Coleman can stay on the field the rest of the season, he'll have a major role as the featured third-down running back on the team.

"He's just mister reliable," Garoppolo said after the win (h/t 49erswebzone.com). "He really is. He's just one of those guys where 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 as a quarterback, you can put that ball up and trust him and it's fun. I didn't even see the play but I heard it was awesome."

Trent Williams may be coming back soon. Elijah Mitchell will be back in the second half of the season. Tyrion Davis-Price should be available again soon. The run game is trending up, and that's an overwhelmingly good thing for the 49ers in every way possible.

George Kittle working his way back

After a couple of weeks in which Kittle was barely a part of the passing game, it was pretty sweet to see "The People's Tight End" receive the first two targets of the game from Jimmy G.

The second catch went for 20 yards and really highlights how Kittle is a mismatch and can be a featured weapon in the offense. 

All told, Kittle caught five-of-six targets for 47 yards.

His fumble in the first quarter was a brutal drive-killer and seemed to throw the entire offense into a bit of dysfunction for half a quarter or so. But overall Kittle was a net positive for the 49ers and once again had some dominant moments in the run game, which was a key factor in the team's offensive explosion.

There's room for improvement all around. The offense has the potential to be one of the most dominant units in the NFL. Sunday's performance against the Panthers showed a little bit of that promise. Here's hoping to seeing much, much more in the weeks to come.