3 biggest takeaways from SF 49ers Week 14 loss to Washington
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: The SF 49ers simply aren’t a playoff-caliber team in 2020
Until they’re officially eliminated from the playoffs, the Niners are still technically alive in the hunt.
But only technically.
Sure, an added Wild Card spot in the conference seeding makes it possible for an 8-8 team to slip in at the back end of the postseason standings. Now in the No. 11 seed, though, San Francisco will need to win out and receive a good deal of help along the way to leapfrog four other teams vying for that seventh seed.
This would be much more doable with a roster nowhere near as decimated by injuries. But the fact no other team has suffered more injury setbacks than the SF 49ers this season caught up with Kyle Shanahan and Co.
In reality, it caught up with the Niners a while back before this latest two-game losing streak, first at the hands of the Buffalo Bills and then versus Washington.
San Francisco’s defense, which still ranks fifth best in total yards allowed (4,109), is good enough to keep the team in games. Yet the lack of offense — the SF 49ers currently rank No. 20 in scoring (300) — isn’t good enough to compete with the other teams vying for a postseason berth.
Sunday’s loss was indicative of this in every facet.