Broncos vs. 49ers: Top Week 14 storylines for San Francisco
By Peter Panacy
No. 1: Cutting Down on Penalties
It hadn’t been a major problem for a while, but the 49ers have recently been bit often by those little yellow flags.
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Case in point, the Niners were hit with a whopping 13 penalties for 128 yards. While some of those — we’re talking about you, Kyle Shanahan — were the result of the team’s frustrations beginning to boil over, many were of the avoidable “pre-snap” variety. And those are issues that should be cleaned up in training camp, the preseason and, at the latest, early in the regular season.
To date, the Niners rank 15th in the league in accepted penalties (82). Before taking those 13 last Sunday in Seattle, the 49ers suffered eight flags against the Buccaneers in Week 12. The week before against the New York Giants, San Francisco was hit with 10.
Over the previous six games before Week 11, the 49ers were averaging a little more than four penalties per game.
Simply put, the Niners lack the talent to make up for a disproportionate number of flags. With the margin of victory being so slim, it’s inherently necessary for Shanahan and Co. to avoid such mistakes.
Plus, it will be important as an indication the 49ers aren’t losing focus down the stretch despite the woeful record.
dark. Next. 4 Niners who need to see more snaps vs. Broncos
The Niners and Broncos kick off at 4:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, Dec. 9 from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.