San Francisco 49ers: Top 5 takeaways from Week 12 loss to Seahawks
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: The 49ers Offensive Line Remains a Key Problem
Pass protection and run blocking were both major issues for the 49ers offense on Sunday.
As noted earlier, Carlos Hyde’s rushing totals weren’t particularly great, as Seattle’s defense aimed to take him out of the game plan. Equally frustrating was the lack of pass blocking, which could partially explain why C.J. Beathard was forced to rely so much on dump-off passes and check-down routes throughout the contest.
Beathard was, once again, subject to a high volume of pressures and hits on Sunday. And while it would benefit him to get the ball out sooner, the lack of protection up front hasn’t been much of a helper.
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Left guard Laken Tomlinson remains a liability, but the Niners offensive line clearly missed right tackle Trent Brown (concussion). In his stead, the team was forced to start undrafted rookie Erik Magnuson, who surrendered one sack and two quarterback hits to Seahawks EDGE Michael Bennett.
Magnuson might be promising, but he’s still little more than a developmental project right now.
The Bears pass rush isn’t quite on the same level as the Seahawks, but Chicago’s defense has played notably better at home.
Getting Brown back is a must for Week 13.