SF 49ers need these 3 things to reach playoffs
The SF 49ers might be 3-3 after Week 6, however, there are only three areas the Niners need to improve in to make a run at the playoffs.
The 3-3 SF 49ers dug themselves into a hole over the first six weeks of the regular season, and only they can get out of it.
Luckily enough for them, they have the weapons and coaches to make it happen.
Sure, injuries have had an effect. However, the losses in Weeks 5 and 6 to the Philadephia Eagles and Miami Dolphins, respectively, were games the Niners weren’t exactly competitive in, yet the SF 49ers could have produced a comeback if they had done one thing.
Run the ball.
Head coach and offensive play-caller Kyle Shanahan said in his post-Week 5 press conference his team needed to pass the ball less.
Shanahan isn’t wrong, and this would help to improve not just the three areas talked about in this article, but also the rest of the team. It’s also one of the bigger points of emphasis from the Niners’ 24-16 upset win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night in Week 6. One could argue it was the key difference.
Running the ball is what got the SF 49ers to the Super Bowl last season and it could well be the thing that gets them back there this year.
Still, San Francisco is 3-3 for a number of reasons. Those reasons have mostly been the same through the first six weeks, and if the Niners continue to lose, those reasons will be why.
Especially when their next six opponents are:
- Week 7 @ New England Patriots, 2-3
- Week 8 @ Seattle Seahawks, 5-0
- Week 9 vs. Green Bay Packers, 4-1
- Week 10 @ New Orleans Saints, 3-2
- Week 12 @ LA Rams, 4-2
- Week 13 vs. Buffalo Bills, 4-2
The SF 49ers could be 3-9 after Week 13, however, they definitely have the talent to be 9-3 after Week 13.
The first area that needs to improve is the offensive line, which finally showed up in Week 6.