{"id":8635,"date":"2026-09-07T12:36:31","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T12:36:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8635"},"modified":"2026-09-07T12:36:31","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T12:36:31","slug":"kurtenbach-49ers-cant-beat-rams-seahawks-without-mastering-the-art-of-hidden-yardage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8635","title":{"rendered":"Kurtenbach: 49ers can\u2019t beat Rams, Seahawks without mastering the art of hidden yardage"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If you were building a power ranking of the NFC right now, the San Francisco 49ers look like a podium team.<\/p>\n

Read more Bay Area events calendar for Sept. 11-17 weekly editions<\/a><\/p>\n

You can make an argument they\u2019re the third-best team in the conference \u2014 a serious contender.<\/p>\n

The problem? They\u2019d be ranked third in their own division.<\/p>\n

Yes, they\u2019re currently staring up at the defending champion Seahawks and the Myles Garrett-and-Aaron Donald-infused Rams. Seattle isn\u2019t just a hurdle; they\u2019re a fully formed brick wall. The Rams are a terrifying, star-studded science experiment.<\/p>\n

That leaves Kyle Shanahan\u2019s outfit with an equally terrifyingly reality: exactly zero room for error.<\/p>\n

And bridging that gap requires mastering and dominating in the one phase of football nobody actually likes watching:<\/p>\n

Special teams.<\/p>\n

You might see it as the built-in bathroom break; the chaotic 15-second spurts of the game that only registers on your radar when it actively ruins your Sunday.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

But the invisible, unloved orphan of the NFL needs to be the Niners\u2019 secret sauce this season.<\/p>\n

Football coaches love to bloviate about \u201ccomplementary football.\u201d In reality, they treat special teams like an annoying government mandate \u2014 an OSHA requirement for shoulder pads.<\/p>\n

But in the NFC West, ignoring the margins is a spectacular way to get yourself left behind. In a division this top-heavy, special teams can\u2019t just be a frustrating toll to pay:<\/p>\n

It needs to be San Francisco\u2019s calling card.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The Rams have the offense. The Seahawks have the defense. So what else could be for the Niners?<\/p>\n

The good news is that last season, the 49ers deployed a surprisingly competent unit.<\/p>\n

Credit belongs entirely to special teams coordinator Brant Boyer. He\u2019s a no-nonsense task master who walked into Santa Clara, demanded Shanahan\u2019s trust, and actually extracted real roster investments from a notoriously stubborn (and mostly special teams ignoring) front office.<\/p>\n

Boyer didn\u2019t just bring in aces. He brought practical, grueling, and perhaps Pop-Warner-level drills.<\/p>\n

It was the kind of fundamental grunt work that Shanahan\u2019s regime had happily ignored for his previous eight years. Because, let\u2019s face it, practicing downfield run formations on a kickoff isn\u2019t as sexy as drawing up a pre-snap motion for Deebo Samuel.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not going to make it complicated,\u201d Shanahan said of Boyer. \u201cYou don\u2019t want someone to come in and try to overly impress you with some gurued-up special team stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Translation: Basic competency looks like a revolution to a team that forgot how to cover a punt.<\/p>\n

And it worked. Mostly.<\/p>\n

San Francisco finished third in expected points added on special teams last season.<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t let that glossy number fool you. There\u2019s still plenty of room for improvement.<\/p>\n

Most of that inflated EPA success came from pure, unadulterated luck. Specifically, it came from opposing kickers repeatedly missing field goals. Was that the Niners\u2019 doing? Probably not.<\/p>\n

Look at DVOA \u2014 the catch-all metric that serves as football\u2019s version of WAR \u2014 and you\u2019ll see that the Niners\u2019 special teams ranked a deeply mediocre 13th.<\/p>\n

Read more Inman Down Under: Handshake agreement gets 49ers into Week 1 mode<\/a><\/p>\n

That\u2019s mandatory improvement territory.<\/p>\n

Because if the Niners can\u2019t find a winning margin in the game\u2019s forgotten phase, they\u2019ll find themselves inadequate on the whole when compared to their division foes and, perhaps, beyond.<\/p>\n

A middle-of-the-pack unit will almost certainly result in a third-place division finish and an early tee time in January.<\/p>\n

But they have the ingredients to leap from average to elite.<\/p>\n

Special teams success starts with Eddy Pi\u00f1eiro, who has officially become the Brock Purdy of placekickers.<\/p>\n

Pi\u00f1eiro completely bailed out Shanahan and John Lynch. The draft capital they burned on Jake Moody was a masterclass in hubris, and Pi\u00f1eiro was the life raft they desperately didn\u2019t deserve.<\/p>\n

Signed off the street after Week 1, Pi\u00f1eiro went a spectacular 28-of-29 on field goals last season, even flashing with a long of 59 yards.<\/p>\n

His only miss? A 64-yard prayer against the Indianapolis Colts just before halftime.<\/p>\n

It was a kick so agonizingly accurate that it hit the dead center of the crossbar and fell short by a few blades of grass. It almost felt more impressive than a make.<\/p>\n

He earned Shanahan\u2019s total confidence \u2014 a shock considering that he\u2019s a coach who historically treats kickers with the warmth you\u2019d reserve for a parking ticket.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, he was begging Pi\u00f1eiro to let it fly from deep.<\/p>\n

And Pi\u00f1eiro\u2019s success earned him a shiny new four-year, $17 million contract extension.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe came in and did a hell of a job last year,\u201d Boyer said. \u201cHe proved his worth and he got rewarded for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond the kicker, the front office quietly raised the roster\u2019s floor, providing more competence for special teams \u2014 which typically uses bottom-of-the-roster backups and third-stringers. They also stocked up on actual, breathing special teams aces.<\/p>\n

The coverage units were loaded with specialized talent like Luke Gifford and Siran Neal.<\/p>\n

In turn, Boyer and Co. turned a former weakness into a reliable unit.<\/p>\n

But questions still linger in the third phase.<\/p>\n

The punting job for the 2026 season will belong to Corliss Waitman, who beat out Boyer\u2019s hand-picked rookie, Jack Bouwmeester, in a training camp roster battle.<\/p>\n

Samuel was re-signed to a contract that turned him into a kick returner. Who lines up next to him on the goal line is anyone\u2019s guess right now.<\/p>\n

And the punt returner gig? It\u2019sa crowded, chaotic theater.<\/p>\n

Jacob Cowing is the clubhouse leader for Week 1, but he\u2019s oft-injured and not exactly an ace. Behind him Jordan Watkins, Jack Jones, and practice-squad pickup Brandon Codrington are in the mix for the top job of catching the rapidly falling ball.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an all-hands-on-deck situation \u2014 surely a champion will rise in the final days, right?<\/p>\n

If only it was so simple. It\u2019s likely that the punt returner gig is a massive roster headache as the Niners head to Australia for their Week 1 clash with the Rams.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s a necessary headache. Because it\u2019s mandatory if the Niners are to make hidden yardage an overt advantage.<\/p>\n

The margins are razor-thin. The division is a brutal meat grinder.<\/p>\n

A single block, a stray punt or one return could easily be the difference between a Super Bowl run and a January vacation.<\/p>\n

Read more Ro Khanna weighs 2028 presidential run built on economic populism<\/a><\/p>\n

The Niners need to not just embrace but dominate on hidden yardage.<\/p>\n

Because if they don\u2019t, they probably won\u2019t like the result.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Special teams coordinator Brant Boyer elevated the 49ers’ third side of the ball last year. Can they win games with that advantage in 2026?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8634,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nKurtenbach: 49ers can\u2019t beat Rams, Seahawks without mastering the art of hidden yardage - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8635\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kurtenbach: 49ers can\u2019t beat Rams, Seahawks without mastering the art of hidden yardage - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Special teams coordinator Brant Boyer elevated the 49ers' third side of the ball last year. 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