5 Takeaways from the 49ers' Week 6 win over the Rams

5 takeaways from the San Francisco 49ers' Week 6 win over the Los Angeles Rams

Modified Nov 08, 2022 11:48 GMT

3.Jason Verrett's return is huge for the 49ers

It says a lot that the 49ers were able to exit Sunday's game with very few fans discussing injured cornerback Richard Sherman.

An effervescent Sherman is still one of the NFL's best corners, and you'd expect his absence to be felt.

So why isn't it so?

Enter Jason Verrett. The talented 49ers CB has been plagued by injuries (torn ACL in 2016, torn Achilles in 2018) but is a game-changer in pass coverage when healthy.

Verett finished the game with two pass deflections and picked off Jared Goff in the end zone for an interception when he burst in between two Rams receivers to acrobatically claim the ball.

QBs facing the 49ers need to be aware of this man whose passer rating allowed is just 14.6 when he's the nearest defender in coverage (2nd in the league).

2. Jared Goff and Cooper Kupp struggled to connect

This time last year, Cooper Kupp was one of the more productive receivers in the NFL. But with just two TDs so far this season -- and just two catches for 11 yards on Sunday -- it's safe to say things haven't quite hit the highs of last year.

Goff targeted the route-running supremo on numerous occasions, for some unknown reason, the duo just couldn't get it together. Kupp even dropped a pass in the end zone.

If the Rams are to make a genuine run at the playoffs, they are going to need a lot more out of Kupp.

1. Did the 49ers figure out how to stop Aaron Donald?

Many agree that -- outside of the QB position -- Aaron Donald is the best player in the entire NFL.

The Rams' defensive tackle is a juggernaut. Each team he goes against sets out to double team him to stop him from getting to the QB. So far this season, each of those teams has learned one key thing: It doesn't work.

Donald tops the league in sacks with 7.5 QB takedowns. Can anyone stop the man they call "Cheat Code"?

On Sunday, the 49ers may have figured it out.

Donald finished the contest with just one tackle and a single QB hurry. Huge credit must be given to the 49ers' offensive line, particularly tackle Daniel Brunskill for coming out on top against Donald when it was needed most.

It would be unfair to say anything too negative about Donald's performance considering he usually has to better at least two blockers on route to a sack, but he was very quiet. This leads us to think that offensive coordinators across the league will be assessing plenty of tape on this game to see if they can catch wind of how to stop him going forward.

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