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49ers vs. Redskins: The good, bad and ugly from Week 6 loss to Washington

By Peter Panacy

LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 15: Quarterback C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers and quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins talk after the Washington Redskins defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 26-24, at FedExField on October 15, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 15: Quarterback C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers and quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins talk after the Washington Redskins defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 26-24, at FedExField on October 15, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 15: Quarterback Brian Hoyer #2 of the San Francisco 49ers looks to the sideline with his hands in the air against the Washington Redskins during the first half at FedExField on October 15, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 15: Quarterback Brian Hoyer #2 of the San Francisco 49ers looks to the sideline with his hands in the air against the Washington Redskins during the first half at FedExField on October 15, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

The Ugly

Sure, there are plenty of silver linings for the 49ers this season. Despite the 0-6 start, Niners historians can recall former head coach Bill Walsh went 0-7 back in 1979 — his first year with the franchise — before finishing with a 2-14 record.

Like 1979, 2017 is going to be a tough year, in terms of the record.

But football is about wins and losses, and head coach Kyle Shanahan is still searching for his first.

And among the primary reasons for San Francisco’s six-game losing streak are problems the Niners have experienced on a seemingly week-to-week basis.

Drops

Entering Week 6, San Francisco led the entire NFL in dropped passes (12). That number will increase even more after this game, as we counted four more to add to this league-leading total.

Rookie tight end George Kittle had two key drops, and fellow TE Garrett Celek had another. Running back Matt Breida was also guilty of a dropped pass.

These are mistakes that often don’t fall on now-benched quarterback Brian Hoyer, although he’s become something of a scapegoat for the lack of 49ers’ offensive prowess.

Give San Francisco one of those catches, and there’s a good chance Shanahan gets win No. 1.

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Penalties

Here’s the other bad trend — penalties.

Just like drops, the 49ers entered Week 6 with the most penalties in the NFL (56). The ones on offense, notably the two false starts on right tackle Trent Brown, have also hindered the offense in a big way.

Although the offensive pass interference call against wide receiver Pierre Garçon late in the fourth quarter was not a good call:

Still, seven additional penalties for 40 yards are gaffes a young and developing 49ers team can ill afford. Good teams, laden with talent, can absorb a lot of flags.

San Francisco isn’t anywhere close to this status, though.

Oh, and while we can say good things about quarterback C.J. Beathard, he did have a mindless delay-of-game call against him in the second half. That hurt as well.

Regardless, the 49ers now find themselves at 0-6 and coming home to take on a 2-3 Dallas Cowboys team coming off its bye week.

A winnable matchup? Perhaps, but there’s a real possibility San Francisco’s losing streak continues.

Next: 49ers vs. Redskins: Full Week 6 grades, analysis for San Francisco

Close, but not quite.