SF 49ers: 4 biggest problems offense must fix vs. Cowboys

While the SF 49ers are nearly eliminated from the playoffs, a win over the Cowboys would provide solace if the offense is fixed.

Let’s face it, the SF 49ers aren’t going to the postseason this year.

With a 5-8 record and on the tail of a two-game losing streak to the Buffalo Bills and Washington Football Team, the Niners would have to do some herculean climbing from the depths of the playoff picture while getting plenty of help along the way.

One could argue it’s in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s interests to “tank” these final three games to improve NFL Draft positioning for 2021, and there’s some merit there.

Yet it’s always great for San Francisco to beat its longtime rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, regardless of the circumstances.

At 4-9, the Cowboys are arguably going through more problems than the SF 49ers. Their franchise quarterback, Dak Prescott, is out for the season, and that’s led to a domino effect of less-than-stellar offensive production. Yet unlike the Niners, Dallas’ offense has been abysmal this year, which should open up opportunities San Francisco hasn’t exactly seen over its last two games against better-quality defenses.

But those opportunities only matter if Shanahan and his offensive players correct some key problems they’ve faced as of late, all of which has translated to the SF 49ers owning the No. 20 scoring offense in the league after 14 weeks.

Starting off where it counts most: the trenches.

No. 4: SF 49ers must clean up pass protection along the O-line

One of the glaring stats from Week 14 was how effective Washington’s stout defensive front was over the Niners offensive line.

Quarterback Nick Mullens took four sacks and a whopping 12 quarterback hits during the game. And while all of these weren’t entirely the O-line’s fault, it’s pretty safe to say this unit had one of the poorer outings in what has already been a disappointing year in pass protection.

Right tackle Mike McGlinchey has been the primary culprit, being credited by Pro Football Focus with a team-high 29 quarterback pressures on the season. Yet he’s not the only one, as fellow linemen Laken Tomlinson and Daniel Brunskill are also both north of the 20-pressures-allowed threshold.

Dallas has two key pass-rushers San Francisco has to be worried about: DeMarcus Lawrence and Aldon Smith, who have a combined 9.5 sacks between them. While the Cowboys aren’t getting pressure they were expected to have this season — just 24 sacks over 13 games — ensuring the SF 49ers’ own pass-protecting efforts are up to par has to be a major priority for this contest.