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49ers vs. Redskins: 4 takeaways from San Francisco’s loss to Washington

By Robert Smith

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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GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 01: Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers talks with referee Tony Corrente before the start of the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 01: Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers talks with referee Tony Corrente before the start of the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

Penalties continue to plague the Niners

They just can’t get out of their own way sometimes. I’ve said it before, and it still rings true.

Sunday against the Redskins, the Niners committed another seven penalties, but none more costly than an offensive pass-interference call against wide receiver Pierre Garcon with 23 seconds left and the team driving for a potential game-winning field goal.

On 2nd-and-10 from the Redskins 40-yard line, Garcon ran a slant route but was run into by Washington linebacker Zach Brown, who was trying to get to Carlos Hyde as he ran his own pattern.

As the two collided, the pass came Garcon’s way but was incomplete. The refs decided Garcon had initiated the contact and penalized the Niners 10 yards. It was a controversial call, to say the least, and pushed them out of field goal range. After C.J. Beathard’s last-ditch heave on fourth down, the Niners found themselves on the losing end of a close ballgame once again.

It was the second time such a call had went against the team this season. The other was on wide receiver Trent Taylor in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams.

But the point here is this: the team continues to shoot themselves in the foot, whether on PI calls or holding on 3rd-and-short. Overall, the Niners lead the NFL in penalties with a total of 56 for 425 yards.

This young team will make mistakes during the course of a 16-game schedule. That is to be expected. But Shanahan and this coaching staff really needs to harness this squad’s aggression somewhat and continue to emphasize fundamentals.

For now, it’s frustrating as a fan to watch week in and week out, but hopefully it will be a learning point and have a payoff in the seasons to come.