Getty Jimmy Garoppolo gets grabbed by Chandler Jones of the Cardinals during the 49ers' 31-17 loss to Arizona on Sunday, November 7.
The San Francisco 49ers aren’t securing catches or holding onto to the football during their 3-5 start.
That’s what one team insider from The Athletic zeroed in on after the 31-17 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday, November 8.
And as David Lombardi pointed out, these two stats represent “the basic ingredient of success” for football teams including the ‘Niners.
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Drops and Loose Balls
Here’s what Lombardi researched and shared following the 14-point 49ers defeat:
Drop percentage…
1. 49ers: 7.6%
2. Miami: 6.8%
3. Jets: 6.7%
Fumble percentage…
1. Miami: 3.5%
2. Texans: 3.3%
3. 49ers: 3.3%
The 49ers are simply not good at holding onto the football, which is a very basic ingredient of success
San Francisco is the league’s worst at securing catches, calculated at a rate of 7.6% in drop rate. To add to it, the ‘Niners receiving core has dropped 18 passes according to Pro Football Focus, giving them an average of 2.25 drops per game.
And, even though he’s putting together Pro Bowl numbers and is currently on pace to potentially shatter Calvin “Megatron” Johnson NFL record of receiving yardage in a season, Deebo Samuel leads the team with nine drops.
But it’s not just the pass that’s being dropped to the grass. So has the football after the catch or when Jimmy Garoppolo is dropping back.
The 49ers, per PFF, have fumbled 10 times during the first eight games — which means an average of 1.25 fumbles per game.
The team leader in fumbles? Jimmy G…who has five in that category. And yes, that does include that fumble that became a topic of discussion in the ‘Niners’ first loss of the season against the Green Bay Packers.
Has This Been a Reoccurring Issue?
Per Lombardi, ball security is a consistent issue during the Kyle Shanahan era.
And in looking back at the last two seasons, the 49ers have had a high number of drops and fumbles.
In 2020, the 49ers dropped 33 passes in their 6-10 season. Tight end George Kittle led the team with eight dropped passes. The team drop average per game was 2.06.
A year prior in the 2019 NFC championship run, the 49ers still dealt with dropped throws — 30 total with Samuel having the highest number at 10. Although, the 49ers were better about protecting the football among the WR core, with only three coughed footballs.
However, 15 of the 49ers’ 18 season fumbles came from Garoppolo or the backfield. And Garoppolo lost the football the most with 10 that season.
Ironically, the 49ers mishandled the football less during their fourth place finish of 2020: 16 total fumbles with backup QB Nick Mullens having the most at six.
Regardless, the bottom line is this: The 49ers have struggled in what Lombardi calls “the basic ingredient of success,” which is ball security.
Oh, PFF analyst Jeff Deeny added this to the drop/fumbles stats: The 49ers haven’t been the best at pouncing on loose balls either.
Now, the 49ers will soon face a Los Angeles Rams defense on Monday Night Football that will come in with the following: 35 pass deflections in nine games, 12 interceptions, seven forced fumbles and lastly, a healthy Von Miller is anticipated to have his L.A. Rams debut at Levi’s Stadium.