Most of the United States turned back its clocks an hour Sunday for daylight savings, and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan turned back his playbook over a decade in an attempt to catch the Seattle Seahawks off guard.
With the 49ers facing third-and-5 on their first offensive series of Week 8, Shanahan split quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo out wide and running back Jerick McKinnon lined up in the wildcat, the same formation the 2008 Miami Dolphins used to devastating effect in a surprise playoff berth that season.
McKinnon was an option quarterback at Georgia Southern, but he looked the part of someone who hadn't played the role for the better part of seven years.
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Garoppolo was open on the play, but the Seahawks paid almost no attention to him, perhaps in part because of his two career receptions for negative-three yards. Deebo Samuel was out Sunday, but the 49ers didn't need to get that creative to fill the void at receiver.
The 49ers lost three yards on the play, and they punted on the ensuing fourth down. A first down would've put the 49ers in field-goal range, and points would be at a premium throughout Sunday's first quarter. The call, as a result, was extremely confusing, to say the least.
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The Seahawks didn't score on the ensuing drive, but Seattle took a 6-0 lead into the second quarter. The 49ers took a 7-6 lead early in the second quarter, but you can make the argument they left more points on the board with the wildcat call.
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Something tells me it's going to be even deeper in the playbook on a short week prior to Thursday's game against the Green Bay Packers.
