{"id":8899,"date":"2026-09-11T05:09:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T05:09:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8899"},"modified":"2026-09-11T05:09:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T05:09:22","slug":"niners-nuggets-deebos-return-brendels-catch-and-more-from-49ers-season-opening-win-over-rams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8899","title":{"rendered":"Niners’ nuggets: Deebo’s return, Brendel’s catch and more from 49ers’ season-opening win over Rams"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The 49ers are atop the NFC West two days into the NFL season after dominating the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia on Friday morning there, and Thursday night stateside.<\/p>\n

Read more Studs and Duds: Purdy, Bosa and the physical 49ers manhandle Rams in Australia<\/a><\/p>\n

Brock Purdy had three touchdown passes to three different receivers in the 27-7 win and six different 49ers had two or more catches. The three scores were all different: Demarcus Robinson scored on a 39-yard bomb, Mike Evans had his first 49ers touchdown on a short back-shoulder fade and Deebo Samuel caught a crossing pattern as Purdy escaped the pocket.<\/p>\n

The defense came up big, too, forcing two turnovers and holding the Rams to 2-of-9 on third-down conversions.<\/p>\n

Here are a few nuggets from the win.<\/p>\n

Turning point<\/h3>\n

Samuel\u2019s 45-yard kickoff return to start the second half showed the zip and physicality the 49ers needed to stretch their three-point lead to multiple scores. Christian McCaffrey ripped off runs of 14 and 16 yards on the next two plays, and Evans scored five snaps after that.<\/p>\n

Stat that tells the story<\/h3>\n

Matthew Stafford\u2019s QB rating of 61.2 was his lowest since Boxing Day 2021. The 49ers didn\u2019t have a sack in the game, but they did have eight QB hits as Stafford never got into a rhythm in Raheem Morris\u2019 debut as the 49ers\u2019 defensive coordinator.<\/p>\n

Zebra report<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It was a clean game from a penalty perspective, with six combined flags. The key review was Matthew Stafford\u2019s third-quarter sneak that was stuffed at the goal line. Officials upheld the call on the field that Stafford didn\u2019t reach the end zone. Eleven plays and 99 yards later, the 49ers\u2019 lead stretched to three scores.<\/p>\n

Read more Live 49ers updates: Australia welcomes NFC West rivalry with Rams for season opener<\/a><\/p>\n

They said it<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like 17 home games in San Francisco. Nothing against Australia, I just don\u2019t like to travel. \u2026 It was like both the game we have against the Rams at home, in California.\u201d \u2013 Kyle Shanahan on playing in Australia<\/p>\n

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Wait, what?<\/h3>\n

Center Jake Brendel recorded his first career catch in the second quarter when Purdy\u2019s pass was knocked down by Nate Landman (a Monte Vista-Danville alum) and landed in Brendel\u2019s lap. He even gained 2 yards before Landman tackled him. Unfortunately for the 49ers, De\u2019Zhaun Stribling was injured on the play and missed the rest of the game.<\/p>\n

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Medical tent<\/h3>\n

Stribling suffered an ankle injury, but Shanahan noted his Achilles was intact. Tight end Jake Tonges also went out before halftime with a knee injury. Shanahan said it was an MCL issue and was \u201cnot good\u201d. Both players will undergo more testing.<\/p>\n

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What\u2019s next<\/h3>\n

The Niners will travel back home and rest up for several days, Shanahan said. Their Week 2 game \u2013 and home opener at Levi\u2019s Stadium \u2013 is against the Miami Dolphins next Sunday, Sept. 20 at 1:25 p.m.<\/p>\n

Read more Nearly 100-year-old El Campanil Theatre in Antioch faces sale to church<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The defense came up big, too, forcing two turnovers and holding the Rams to 2-of-9 on third-down conversions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8898,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nNiners’ nuggets: Deebo’s return, Brendel’s catch and more from 49ers’ season-opening win over Rams - 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=8899\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Niners’ nuggets: Deebo’s return, Brendel’s catch and more from 49ers’ season-opening win over Rams - 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