49ers can blame Week 7 offensive struggles on field, bad weather

The San Francisco 49ers ultimately came away with a win over the Washington Redskins in Week 7. But the lack of offensive output was hindered by poor weather and field conditions.

There are going to be pundits out there who point out the San Francisco 49ers barely managed to get by the one-win Washington Redskins in Week 7, winning by a lowly score of 9-0 in what should have been a complete blowout.

For those with that take, it’s a clear indication they didn’t watch the game. Or even look at pictures from the contest.

Granted, one can’t pinpoint the poor weather as the sole reason the Niners managed just 283 all-purpose yards of offense. Case in point, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo tossed one interception in the game — an intended pass to wide receiver Dante Pettis, which was underthrown and ultimately landed in the hands of Redskins safety Troy Apke:

https://twitter.com/Redskins/status/1185988383778267136

Garoppolo didn’t look off the safety well enough. And Pettis should have fought more aggressively for the pass, too.

San Francisco’s offensive line had some issues run blocking, although one could attribute that to the difficulty of getting footing.

But what many will look at is Garoppolo’s line from the game: 12-of-21 for 151 yards, zero touchdowns, the interception and a passer rating of 59.8. In contrast, Redskins quarterback Case Keenum passed for a rating of 91.3 Based off this, Keenum appeared to have the better game.

Yet Keenum threw for just 77 yards, while Garoppolo’s second-half efforts were instrumental in the Niners actually getting the nine points.

Based off that, Garoppolo was easily the better quarterback. Stats can be deceiving here.

All that said, the rainy weather and poor field conditions heavily influenced the lack of offensive output.

“That was as bad as I’ve seen,” cornerback Richard Sherman told reporters of the field after the game.

Kicker Robbie Gould, who accounted for all of San Francisco’s points but also missed his first field-goal try, admitted he “slid underneath” his initial attempt. And there was little head coach Kyle Shanahan could have done to prepare his team for the inclement weather and conditions at FedEx Field.

“You talk about it,” Shanahan said. “But it’s really tough to prepare for. It’s really tough to make it rain in California and ruin our field.”

San Francisco’s usually stout running game managed 137 yards, but only averaged 3.5 yards per carry. Yet one can pin a lot of this on the associated difficulty run blocking, as well as the challenges of runners trying to make their cuts. Garoppolo also admitted some difficulty gripping the ball, too.

If it affected the 49ers offense, the weather and field also impacted the Redskins, too. Washington was held to just 154 total yards in the game.

Ultimately, the Niners came away with a crucial road win ahead of their Week 8 home bout against the 4-2 Carolina Panthers, who watched the contest while on their bye week.