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3 Washington players who should scare SF 49ers in Week 14

By Robert Morrison

Washington Redskins running back Wendell Smallwood (34) by San Francisco 49ers strong safety Jaquiski Tartt (29) and defensive end Nick Bosa (97) Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Washington Redskins running back Wendell Smallwood (34) by San Francisco 49ers strong safety Jaquiski Tartt (29) and defensive end Nick Bosa (97) Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Chase Young, Washington Football Team
Washington Football Team defensive end Chase Young (99) Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

The SF 49ers welcome the Washington Football Team to town. Here are a few players from the WFT the Niners must worry about.

The SF 49ers are in the middle of one of the most bizarre stretches in franchise history as they prepare for a second “home” game at Arizona’s State Farm Stadium, this time hosting the suddenly surging Washington Football Team.

The Team is led by a familiar face for SF 49ers’ fans: former 2005 No.1 overall pick, quarterback Alex Smith, who has returned from a career and life-threatening leg injury to once again become a starting quarterback in the NFL.

Much like San Francisco, Washington comes into Sunday’s matchup at 5-7, but unlike the Niners, the Team’s path to the playoffs is a little more clear-cut: win the wild and underperforming NFC East or likely miss out entirely.

For the Niners, Sunday’s matchup is the first of four must-win games in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. Although they can still technically get in at 8-8, the amount of help they’d need with a .500 record would be almost insurmountable. At 9-7, help would still be necessary, but less so.

Washington needs to keep pace with current NFC East leaders, the New York Giants, and having already lost to them twice, isn’t in a position to drop many more losses from here on out either.

That makes Sunday’s game in the desert even more important, as both teams are fighting to keep their seasons alive past Jan. 3.

When the schedule was announced during the offseason, this was one of those games that seemed like an easier one for the SF 49ers, but since Washington moved Smith into the starting lineup, they’ve found some much-needed stability at the quarterback position to add to their already potent — and always improving — defensive unit.

This means that the game isn’t going to be the pushover that fans of the SF 49ers might have expected, especially when the Niners have the ball.

With that said, let’s take a look at three players for the Washington Football Team whom Niners fans should be concerned about going into Sunday’s game.