The San Francisco 49ers secured their first win last week, and the much maligned offensive line deserves some credit. Run and pass blocking has been inconsistent this season, but in Week 10, the unit came together against an atrocious Giants team to take care of business.
Former NFL offensive lineman Shaun O’Hara puts together weekly OL rankings at NFL.com, and this week he ranked the 49ers No. 2 behind the New Orleans Saints. The 49ers put together season highs in total yards (474), rushing yards (186), and yards per play (8.2). They also converted eight of 12 third downs, which was a high in a season where they have ranked near the bottom of the league on third down.
More importantly, we saw C.J. Beathard managed to avoid the kind of beating he has taken on a regular basis this season. He was only hit once, and hurried a second time. Two pressures is something he has gotten in the span of a single series, so to hold up for an entire game was huge.
This did come against an atrocious Giants team, but nonetheless they successfully executed on a game plan. You take what you can get in a season like this, and it shows what the 49ers can do in a more evenly matched game. There will be turnover on this offensive line next offseason, but it is good to see some positive execution once in a while.