One week after watching the coming out party, where Andy Dalton had me believing he may be able to succeed as a rookie quarterback, he did a lot to make those thoughts seem foolish in Week 3. He turned in a poor performance, while his much-maligned opposite number, Alex Smith, excelled despite very little help from his offensive colleagues.
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In the end, that was the main difference between the teams, with neither offense having the kind of days you’d be proud of, and both defenses doing enough to stay on top. The end result won’t leave you feeling confident about the prospects for either team in the balance of 2011, but there are plenty of positives in terms of individual performances that stood out.
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So let’s put our smiley face on this game and look at some of the best displays, and some of the worst.
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San Francisco 49ers – Three Performances of Note
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1) Better Than Anyone Will Credit
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It’s become easy to frown upon every bad throw Alex Smith (+5.1) makes. The groans that normally follow it give the impression that Smith has had another bad game. But away from Candlestick Park, and in comparison to a truly feeble QB display, Smith looked pretty decent. He wasn’t helped by some atrocious protection that saw him pressured on 45.7% of his dropbacks, but even then he avoided turning the ball over, and completed a healthy 54.5% of passes when pressured. The only shame for him is a beautiful touchdown throw was called back for Michael Crabtree controversially being ruled to have stepped out of bounds. That score would have made the stat sheet and highlight reel a fairer reflection of Smith’s effort.
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2) A Shining Ray
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I get to write about the San Francisco 49ers, and I don’t have a choice but to write about a ‘Niners DE. Only for one, I won’t be telling you about how great Justin Smith was (he had a poor game much to my surprise), but rather focusing on the excellence of Ray McDonald. The 49ers’ LE didn’t come off the field and was a menace with his pass rushing, picking up a hit and three pressures despite how quickly the Bengals were trying to get rid of the ball. When McDonald generated pressure he did it with a quick burst off the snap, so much so that his dominance over rookie Clint Boiling saw the right guard benched. If he can keep this level of performance up, then the 49ers are well stocked at DE.
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3) Where’s the Development?
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Another day, another game where Anthony Davis (-5.5) fails to live up to his draft status. The right tackle is still very young, so it would be wrong to write him off, but what has he shown on an NFL field to inspire confidence? In this one, the sophomore gave up a hit and four pressures, and was called for a holding penalty. Oh, and he was beaten twice in the run game for plays that should have ended up as tackles for short gains (but for one missed tackle by Carlos Dunlap with 5:14 left in the first half). Three games now for Davis, and three grades in the red. Must improve.
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Cincinnati Bengals: Three Performances of Note
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1) Where Did That Come From?
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If you’ve watched Jonathan Fanene over the year what kind of impression have you got? I’d imagine it’s not one of a player who can impose himself on a team’s ability to pass. But that’s what he did in this one, with him picking up a pair of sacks (on both starting 49er guards) when he kicked inside in nickel situations. The move to left defensive end seems to have got more use out of the Bengal, and it will be interesting to see if he can keep this level of performance up. With the continually impressive play of Dunlap (+1.2), he’ll need to if he wants to keep on the field.
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2) Andy, Andy, Andy
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So remember that opening paragraph? Well it’s time to expand on it. Andy Dalton (-3.4) had a shocker. He can’t really blame a protection unit that kept pressure off him on 70.6% of plays, especially since he was worse when he wasn’t pressured. On those 24 occasions Dalton threw two bad interceptions, completed only 58.3% of his passes for 4.8 yards per attempt. Those numbers are indicative of a truly terrible display.
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3) The Leagues’ Top Left Tackle
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There’s no point denying it, the league is lacking top quality left tackles. Jake Long is playing hurt, and Joe Thomas isn’t playing like Joe Thomas. So who is going to step up to the mantle and enter the discussion as the league’s best? Well it’s about time Andrew Whitworth (+2.8) got his due after an impressive start to the season that sees him our top-ranked left tackle through three weeks. Whitworth gave up a solitary pressure to Justin Smith, and won their battle in the run game as well. Given how Smith had started the season, it was something of a miracle to find someone able to stop him, but one week after Doug Free was humbled, Whitworth was up to the task.
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Game Notes
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● No QB had a higher PFF Accuracy Percentage (one of our signature stats) than Alex Smith in week three. Take away his throwaway and the four drops his receiver made and he would have completed 82.8% of passes.
● The Bengals picked up five sacks and five hits as well as 11 hurries as they battered Smith all day long.
● Limited by injury? Frank Gore had the fourth lowest ‘Elusive Rating’ of the week after forcing just one missed tackle and picking up 1.9 yards after contact.
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PFF Game Ball
Alex Smith, QB, San Francisco 49ers
There wasn’t a stand out candidate, but switch the QBs around and the result is very different. Smith’s ability to deal with the pressure and avoid mistakes put the 49ers in position to win this game.
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