5 crazy stats that say everything about SF 49ers 2020 season
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: SF 49ers issues turning the ball over
A team with so many injuries is going to have a razor-thin margin for error during any point in any game, particularly with the intricate offense Kyle Shanahan operates and the sheer number of skill players he’s missed.
Needless to say, protecting the ball is vital to the SF 49ers’ chances, and that hasn’t been a strength this season.
At all.
Through 14 weeks, the Niners rank second in most giveaways this season with 25 total turnovers. Only the Broncos have more with 29. If there’s a slight solace with this stat, San Francisco ranks slightly better than Denver, in terms of turnover differential, as the SF 49ers are minus-0.5 here and are tied for fifth worst, while the Broncos are dead last at minus-1.4. But this is mostly due to the Niners generating 18 defensive takeaways of their own compared to Denver’s 11.
#49ers QB Nick Mullens has committed 12 turnovers in seven starts that have resulted in 44 points (5 TDs, 3 FGs). Two of his four turnovers that didn’t result in points were red-zone INTs.
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) December 14, 2020
One of the primary problems has been quarterback Nick Mullens, whose 10 interceptions thrown this season have equated to a 3.4 interception percentage, which is tied for second worst among all qualifiers this season with the Philadelphia Eagles’ Carson Wentz and the Jets’ Sam Darnold and only better than the Broncos’ Drew Lock (4.0).
Not exactly the company Mullens wants to be in.
Considering all of the Niners’ offensive issues this year, not protecting the ball should be viewed as a primary culprit.