Another week and yet another gut-wrenching loss for the San Francisco 49ers. With their two-point loss to Washington, the Niners set an NFL record with their fifth straight loss by three points or less. Niner Noise looks at four takeaways from Sunday’s game.
If head coach Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers were judged on their refusal to quit and their competitive spirit, they would be at or near the top of the NFL after six weeks.
Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. And thus the reason the team stands 0-6 so far in 2017.
Each and every week, San Francisco seems to make strides in certain areas and take a step back in others. It can be a character builder, or it can break some players’ spirits.
With the type of player general manager John Lynch was, you can be sure he will be looking for the former, not the latter. As this season continues on, he and coach Shanahan will be evaluating the talent and seeing who will fit going forward.
Wins and losses are secondary at this point, and it will be more about learning from mistakes and improving each week.
With that said, let’s look at four takeaways from the 49ers’ loss to the Washington Redskins this past Sunday.
49ers pass rush tool a step back
Over the past two weeks, the 49ers pass rush had accumulated 10 sacks against the Cardinals and Colts, although both teams were struggling with injuries.
Heading into Washington, the Niners knew they would need to pressure Redskins quarteback Kirk Cousins in order to come away victorious. They ended the game with just one sack by rookie Solomon Thomas.
The result: a sixth consecutive loss.
More from SF 49ers News
- DraftKings NFL Draft Promo – Win $150 Guaranteed on Any $5 Bet
- Updated 49ers salary cap space ahead of 2023 NFL Draft
- Deebo Samuel fully admits his hatred of LA Rams
- Brock Purdy jokingly says he’s learning to throw left-handed
- 49ers news: Trey Lance is in the dark regarding trade talk
The NFL is a quarterback-driven league, and if you can’t get pressure consistently, opposing quarterbacks will pick your secondary apart. And in the case of the 49ers, a struggling secondary will look even worse.
Even with an errant Cousins pass getting picked by Rashard Robinson, the lack of pressure allowed Couisins to throw for 330 yards — the third straight 300-yard passing game against the Niners.
Though it is apparent the 49ers defense is improved from last season’s franchise-worst, that finished dead last in points allowed, their lack of a consistent rush will continue to allow offenses to jump out to leads, pick the secondary apart and put up points in critical fourth-quarter drives.
With the Cowboys and Eagles coming up, the Niners will need to pressure Dallas QB Dak Prescott and Philly’s Carson Wentz to give themselves a chance to gain their first victory in 2017.
Currently, the 49ers are tied for 15th in the NFL in sacks with 14.
If Thomas continues to emerge, and DeForest Buckner can continue providing pressure up the middle, the 49ers may be able to contain opponent’s passing attacks enough to keep them within striking distance.
But hopefully, they start to flip the outcomes in some of these games.
Matt Breida needs more carries
Two weeks ago in Indianapolis, running back Matt Breida actually had more carries and yards than No. 1 tailback Carlos Hyde, as Kyle Shanahan “went with the hot hand.”
The 49ers started Hyde, but he finished with just eight carries and just one reception. Breida had 10 carries for 49 yards and three receptions for 22 yards (on five targets), while Hyde had eight rushes for just 11 yards and one reception for seven yards (on one target).
But this past Sunday was a different story.
Hyde saw more action against the Redskins, carrying 13 times for just 28 yards (2.2 average) and hauling in five receptions for 47 yards. Breida, meanwhile, had just four carries for 21 yards (5.3 average) and two catches for 15 yards. And with the Niners trailing early by 17, it forced more pass plays in order to get them back in the game.
When Shanahan was in Atlanta, he was fortunate to have the tandem of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman in the backfield. And he utilized both to form a terrific tandem. With Hyde and Breida, Shanahan is hoping to play each during the game, and see how well each performs throughout.
And while Hyde is bigger (6-foo-0, 236 pounds) than Breida (5-foot-11, 190 pounds), the former has a history of getting dinged up during the season, as he has already missed 14 games in his three-plus seasons .
Breida may see more carries as the season goes on, especially with Hyde’s history.
With rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard now under center, a strong running game can be a quarterback’s best friend. It can also extend drives, eat some clock and allow the defense to get much needed rest throughout the game.
And if Breida continues to outproduce Hyde, the majority of touches may be going to him sooner rather than later.
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.
C.J. Beathard gives the team hope and excitement
The Brian Hoyer era is over almost as quick as it started.
After four games of pathetic quarterbacking (and one solid one against the Rams), Kyle Shanahan finally pulled the trigger, inserting rookie C.J. Beathard.
To make it clear, Hoyer was less than stellar. He had a 74.1 rating with four touchdowns and four interceptions. And this past Sunday, he started 4-of-11 for 34 yards. The Niners trailed 17-0 before Beathard and the Niners scored before the half to cut the lead to 17-7.
More from Niner Noise
- 49ers 2023 NFL Draft tracker: Pick-by-pick news and analysis
- Predicting 49ers NFL Draft picks by looking at final mocks
- DraftKings NFL Draft Promo – Win $150 Guaranteed on Any $5 Bet
- 2023 NFL Draft: EDGE Byron Young could be impact player for 49ers
- 5 low-key NFL Draft options for 49ers who are flying under the radar
In all, Beathard looked calm and confident, throwing for 245 yards on 19-of-36 passing with a touchdown and an interception. He led the team to all 24 of it’s points, and if not for the controversial interference call on Garcon, may have set the team up for a game-winning field goal.
With the team of to an 0-6 start, and the lackluster play of Hoyer, there really was no good reason for Shanahan to hold Beathard out any longer.
Going forward, Beathard will be the starter for the team, which will allow Shanahan and GM John Lynch to evaluate him and fortify a plan for the 2018 season.
Next: 49ers film room: C.J. Beathard's first game review
There are no guarantees that Beathard becomes the answer for the 49ers at QB, but he gives them the best chance to win now.
And along with the excitement of seeing how he develops over these final ten games, he also brings something else to the table for the team and it’s fans: hope.