Burford explains viral mishap of letting Donald go unblocked originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
49ers rookie Spencer Burford is owning up to his mistakes.
Halfway through the first quarter of the 49ers’ 24-9 win over the Los Angeles Rams at Levi’s Stadium on Monday night, star defensive tackle Aaron Donald was given a free lane to Jimmy Garoppolo.
Obviously, there was some miscommunication there as the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year went unblocked en route to the 49ers’ veteran quarterback. After the game, Burford took to Twitter to explain what happened.
It was a miss communication between me and the center â¦came back and made up for it
— Spencer Burford (@SpencerB74) October 4, 2022
Following the win, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about Burford’s performance and what his rationale was for subbing out the 22-year-old for Daniel Brunskill.
“Brunskill just got back for the first time in about a month,” Shanahan explained to reporters. “He’s done real good versus these guys, and Spencer’s done a hell of a job here too in this month.
“But we planned on mixing them in there a little bit just so he didn’t have to take too many reps but I’m not sure how it ended up.”
Although Burford’s mistake was a big deal at the time, pundits and fans alike ultimately forgot about it, thanks to incredible plays from both Deebo Samuel and Talanoa Hufunga to seal the game.
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Although the 49ers came out with the win, that is probably a moment Burford would like back.
Considering the role he’s played so far in San Francisco’s first four contests, he will have ample opportunities to learn from that mistake in the coming weeks.