SANTA CLARA — It’s common knowledge that Rams coach Sean McVay and San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan worked together as assistants in Washington, but that likely won’t stop the ESPN broadcast from mentioning it a few times during the Monday Night Football matchup between NFC West rivals.
Oh, to be a fly on the wall while these two young brilliant offensive minds designed plays together between 2010 to 2013 with Kyle’s father, Mike Shanahan, the then-head coach in Washington.
Their connection has brought enthusiasm and attention to the rivalry since they both became head coaches in 2017, and it won’t be any different for the 12th meeting.
“There’s a good competitiveness, but I know I have tremendous respect for everything that I’ve learned from him,” McVay said about Kyle Shanahan. “I enjoy when we get a chance to connect, but we are friends and we’re also competitors, but I’ve learned so much from him.”
Shanahan is known for his highly productive rushing scheme and for leading the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance in 2020. McVay instantly had success with his heavy use of 11 personnel and guided the Rams to a Super Bowl title last season.
McVay’s squad crossed paths with Shanahan’s in the NFC title game before hoisting the Lombardi Trophy to add another intriguing layer to the competitive series between two of the best play-callers in the NFL.
But the coaching gurus are heading into their Monday night battle at Levi’s Stadium with plenty of concerns about their respective offenses.
Shanahan struggled to adjust with second-year quarterback Trey Lance before getting a different set of problems with Jimmy Garoppolo, the once-reliable quarterback who hasn’t provided reliability since returning as the starter following an injury to Lance. The 49ers’ offense is averaging 15.7 points per game and hasn’t cracked 200 passing yards in a game this season.
But the 49ers have star edge rusher Nick Bosa on their side, and he’ll face a Rams’ offensive line that will be without its starting guards.
“I think he’s one of the best players in the league,” McVay said about Bosa. “He’s complete. They do a great job of accentuating his skill sets, moving him around in some of the pass downs.”
The Rams’ counter move for Bosa might involve second-year wide receiver Ben Skowronek, who became the team’s fullback after the season-opening loss to the Buffalo Bills. McVay has rarely utilized a fullback in his coaching career, but he adjusted after the slew of injuries to the offensive line by having Skowronek be an extra blocker while still playing out of the Rams’ staple 11 personnel.
The Rams (2-1) will be without center Brian Allen for the third consecutive game because of a knee injury, and left guard David Edwards was ruled out after entering the concussion protocol on Saturday. Right guard Coleman Shelton has filled in for Allen at center, and the team will start Bobby Evans at left guard and Alaric Jackson at right guard versus the 49ers (1-2).
“A lot of moving parts,” McVay said.
Edwards said Rams players had an animated reaction when they reviewed Skowronek’s memorable block on Cardinals star defensive end J.J. Watt last week. Skowronek, the Rams’ undersized fullback, chipped the 6-foot-5, 288-pound Watt off the edge and managed to get back on his feet to haul in a pass from Matthew Stafford.
“I think everyone was just like, ‘Holy crap,’ ” Edwards recalled. “You wouldn’t expect a receiver to generate that type of power, but he did. He’s giving us another element to our offense.”
That added element with Skowronek playing wideout and fullback has helped the Rams’ offensive line adjust during a two-game winning streak. The Rams allowed seven sacks in the loss to the Bills, but that number has dwindled to only two combined sacks against the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals.
The Rams’ patchwork creativity will be truly tested Monday night against the 49ers’ ferocious defensive front that features Bosa. The Rams had success versus Atlanta’s Grady Jarrett and Watt the past two weeks, but the 49ers’ front is on a different level because of their depth with former first-round selections Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw and former Rams pass rusher Samson Ebukam. Armstead and Kinlaw, however, have “questionable” game-day statuses because of injuries.
If the 49ers have most of their key defenders, they likely won’t need to blitz to create pressure on Stafford, who has struggled to push the ball downfield this season. With only four players rushing the quarterback, that would give San Francisco the numbers advantage in the secondary. Stafford ran into this issue versus the Bills and the offense generated only 10 points.
“That’s a defensive coordinator’s dream, right? Just call zone defense behind a four-man rush and get home,” Stafford said. “That’s what you want to do. You dial up a defense, you go, ‘What’s my favorite defense, with the one where I rushed four and attack the quarterback and have seven guys covering four guys or five guys.’ … We’ve got to make sure that we do our job, make sure we distribute the field the correct way.”
The Rams have seen plenty of zone defense this season, but they’ve turned their extra blocker into a reliable target with Skowronek to give opposing defenses more to think about. Also, Stafford has gotten the ball out quickly to his playmakers to form an efficient offense that moves slowly upfield.
Stafford might not have much time to search for wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson with Bosa and the rest of the 49ers’ defensive linemen chasing after him. Bosa has four sacks and 11 of the 49ers’ 20 total quarterback hits this season.
The Rams’ quick throws for short completions have helped them adjust to the injuries on the offensive line, but they’ve taken a handful of shots downfield. They’ll likely ask offensive tackles Joe Noteboom and Rob Havenstein to hold the fort a little longer on a few occasions versus Bosa and his wrecking crew.
“It definitely poses a challenge,” Stafford said. “They do a really nice job, both off the edge and inside getting after the passer, stopping the run on the way. Their defensive line coach (Kris Kocurek) was in Detroit with me for a long time, so I’m good buddies with him and know what he’s all about and know why those guys play so hard. He does a great job of getting those guys to play hard for him.
“You’ve got to do everything you possibly can to try and give them different looks, things they haven’t seen before. When we do show them things they have seen before, you just got to go execute with great physicality.”
Stafford has the luxury of beating quick edge rushers because he’s in sync with Kupp, but he’s still working on establishing a rhythm with Robinson, who has seven catches for 88 yards and one touchdown this season.
Robinson wasn’t happy about dropping a would-be touchdown pass last week, but he’s seen enough on the field to feel confident about the offense heading into Santa Clara.
“I think the benefit is we see the plays are there,” Robinson said. “Guys are winning and they’re open, so we just have to finish and connect. That’s what it comes down to, but we know we’re still building and are able to ascend.”
McVay and Shanahan will get creative to scheme around their offensive deficiencies Monday night, but they might know each other’s tricks because they once worked together in Washington, in case you didn’t know.
