Niner Noise
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5 biggest blunders from SF 49ers loss vs. Washington

By Peter Panacy

Strong safety Kamren Curl #31 of the Washington Football Team on an interception thrown by quarterback Nick Mullens #4 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Strong safety Kamren Curl #31 of the Washington Football Team on an interception thrown by quarterback Nick Mullens #4 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Chase Young, Washington Football Team, SF 49ers
Washington Football Team defensive end Chase Young (99) returns a fumble for a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

The SF 49ers couldn’t get out of their own way, offensively, in Week 14 against Washington, and these blunders were critical.

The SF 49ers‘ epitaph for their 2020 campaign will be marked by two key factors: a swarm of injuries and the inability of backups to shoulder the load adequately enough to put head coach Kyle Shanahan’s team into the postseason.

After falling 23-15 in Week 14 to the Washington Football Team, the Niners now find themselves at 5-8 and are all but officially eliminated from the playoffs. Technically alive, all one needs to do is look at Sunday’s outcome versus Washington to realize San Francisco simply doesn’t have what it takes to compete for a playoff berth.

Heck, winning another game will be a challenge for Shanahan and Co.

Quarterback Nick Mullens is, fairly or not, becoming the epitome of the team’s struggles, especially on offense. While he has shown the ability to make a quality play or two at times, the mistakes and overwhelming lack of consistency are indicative of the kind of gaffes the SF 49ers are prone to making this season.

And those were highlighted by a number of blunders in Week 14 against Washington, including these five.

No. 5: SF 49ers fail to contain Washington EDGE Chase Young

If there’s one single player behind the game’s outcome, it was Washington EDGE Chase Young.

Young’s impressive stat line — six tackles, one sack, two passes deflected, two quarterback hits, a forced fumble and a fumble recovered for a touchdown — tells only a part of the story. He was everywhere on the field, getting all kinds of pressure on Mullens and wreaking havoc indicative of what the Niners face twice a year in LA Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

In the first half, fill-in tackle Justin Skule bit on Young faking dropping back into coverage, leaving a wide-open lane for the rookie pass-rusher to get right at Mullens:

Talk about a bad look.

If there was one player San Francisco had to watch out of everyone on Washington, it was Young.

Simply put, the SF 49ers failed miserably to adjust accordingly.