San Francisco 49ers: Colton McKivitz Now Key To NFC West Hopes

For the second time in as many seasons, Colton McKivitz will play a pivotal position in fortunes of the San Francisco 49ers’ season.

In Week 18 final yr, McKivitz was pressed into motion at left deal with in a do-or-die recreation in opposition to the Los Angeles Rams due to an damage to Trent Williams. McKivitz handed the check and helped the 49ers prevail in an additional time thriller to ebook their ticket to the postseason, through which they received an additional two video games earlier than shedding to Los Angeles within the NFC Championship Recreation.

Now, because the 49ers head into Week 4 of the 2022 season with a 1-2 document, the 49ers want McKivitz once more to assist get them again on monitor in a Monday Night time Soccer recreation with the Rams after Williams suffered a excessive ankle sprain within the 11-10 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 3.

For his half, head coach Kyle Shanahan seems to believe McKivitz has the suitable mindset to ship a repeat efficiency.

Requested what qualities allowed McKivitz to carry his personal final yr, Shanahan informed a Thursday press convention: “Simply the sport’s not too massive for him. That was such a giant recreation and we had been actually hoping we had been going to have Trent, clearly. And Trent tried his hardest all the way in which as much as recreation time and I simply bear in mind once we informed Colton he was up and it was no massive deal to him and he went on the market and he carried out.

“It was an enormous problem going in opposition to these two edge gamers they’d and he simply battles all recreation. Whether or not he will get beat or not, he will be there each play and that at all times offers you an opportunity.”

The scenario shouldn’t be as important because it was within the remaining recreation of final yr’s common season. A defeat is way from terminal for the 49ers, particularly with street video games in opposition to the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons through which they are going to be favored to win on the horizon.

But when the Niners, who’ve already suffered the main blow of shedding beginning quarterback Trey Lance, need to harbor real looking expectations of difficult a Rams staff that’s an underwhelming 2-1 by means of three video games, they can’t afford to lose at dwelling and fall two video games behind the defending Tremendous Bowl champions.

The Rams had been blown out of their season opener with the Buffalo Payments and adopted that defeat with two unconvincing wins, almost surrendering a 28-3 lead in opposition to the Falcons earlier than defeating a depressing Arizona Cardinals staff 20-12 on the street.

Illustrating their below-par performances thus far is the Rams’ efficiency in Soccer Outsiders’ effectivity metric, DVOA. The Rams sit twenty second in DVOA – 18th on offense and sixteenth on protection – whereas the 49ers are ninth, although that isn’t totally reflective of their general play. San Francisco’s protection is ranked third within the metric however its offense is a lowly twenty third.

The 49ers have a possibility to realize an early edge over a Rams staff enjoying nicely under their greatest and take the lead of the division, however snatching that likelihood would require McKivitz reproducing his play from Week 18 to guard a quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo who doesn’t carry out nicely when pressured.

He and his Niners teammates within the trenches failed to try this after Williams left the Broncos recreation within the third quarter. Jaylon Moore initially got here in for Williams however was swiftly changed by McKivitz, who rolled his ankle in follow and was listed as questionable for Week 3.

Per NextGen Stats (h/t Andrew Siciliano), with Williams on the sphere, Garoppolo was pressured on 12.2 % of his dropbacks. That quantity elevated to 21.4 % after he went out.

Related struggles in opposition to Aaron Donald and Co. might make it inconceivable for the 49ers to prevail and get to 2-2. The NFC West continues to be winnable for the 49ers even with the early vital accidents they’ve suffered, and McKivitz’s performances in Williams’ absence will go an extended method to deciding whether or not they can wrest the division crown from the Rams.