49ers halftime adjustment vs Cowboys? "Smashmouth" ...

[Auggie]

Kyle Shanahan won’t copy and paste his most recent offensive game plan for use in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the San Francisco 49ers’ head coach tried an upgraded version: Smashmouth 2.0?

Shanahan made no secret about what inspired his strategy after Sunday’s 19-12 divisional-playoff win against Dallas, which tied for third in the NFL with 54 sacks. The 49ers had a nearly even run-pass split (32 runs, 31 passes) that tilted heavily to their rushing attack in the second half, when Shanahan noted they were able to execute his vision by sustaining drives and staying on the field. The 49ers ran on 21 of their 31 plays in the final two quarters.

“We felt we really had to run the ball just to negate their pass rush,” Shanahan said, “because of how special of a pass rush they have.”

SNIP

“The better defenses you go against,” Shanahan said, “that style usually leads to slowing guys down and not allowing other teams to play how they want to.”

LINK (likely paywall): https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/49ers/article/The-49ers-plan-against-Eagles-historic-pass-17737215.php

FROM THE LINK: Philadelphia had an NFL-high 70 sacks in 2022, which matched the third most in league history and was 15 more than any other team.

BTW, no rain in the Philadelphia forecast for Sunday, and winds will be calm.