49ers Weeks 10-12
Week 10: Monday, Nov. 15 vs. Rams, 8:15 p.m. ET
Preseason prediction: W
Midseason prediction: L
There is very little to the case that this current iteration of the 49ers has any chance against the Rams.
The Niners have yet to win a game at Levi’s Stadium this season and are coming off the worst of those home losses this past Sunday to a quarterback Colt McCoy-led Arizona Cardinals team.
It was arguably the worst showing from San Francisco’s defense in 2021.
And to have to follow that up with an angry Rams team coming to town on the heels of a demoralizing loss to the Tennessee Titans at home on Sunday Night Football last week does not feel like a situation that will cure what ails this 49ers team.
The one case is head coach Kyle Shanahan has had Rams head coach Sean McVay’s number, winning the last four matchups between these two teams, including last season when the Niners weren’t very good and ended the season 6-10 but still managed to sweep the season series.
Beyond that, barring a massive showing on both sides of the ball for the home team, there isn’t much hope to stop the bleeding and stop the Niners’ second multi-game losing skid of 2021.
Record: 3-6
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 21 at Jaguars, 1 p.m. ET
Preseason prediction: W
Midseason prediction: W
Up until Sunday, one would have said there was absolutely no way the Jacksonville Jaguars were going to stand a chance against even this San Francisco team.
And then the 49ers laid an egg against McCoy, and Jacksonville pulled off an ugly upset over the Buffalo Bills, winning 9-6 at home over one of the AFC’s top teams so far this season.
For all his struggles, rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence is a better and more skilled signal-caller than McCoy at this stage, which means that he is capable of taking advantage of this incredibly weakened Niners secondary no matter how uninspiring his cadre of weapons might be.
This isn’t to say San Francisco won’t win, just that it might not be as simple as it looked heading into the season or even just a few weeks ago.
Adding to all that is the 10 a.m. PT start time, already the fourth such kickoff the 49ers have this year, with another yet to come later in the year. The Niners should still be able to overcome those obstacles, but this is not the breezy fall afternoon in Florida that it might have seemed a few months ago.
Record: 4-6
Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 28 vs. Vikings, 4:25 p.m. ET
Preseason prediction: W
Midseason prediction: W
Are the Minnesota Vikings actually a good team?
Their 3-5 record suggests that they’re pretty much on par with the Niners so far this season, while numbers like Football Outsiders’ DVOA statistics indicate that the Vikings are slightly worse overall (9.7 percent to the San Francisco’s 11.3 percent), much worse on offense (3.4 percent to the 49ers’ 13.1 percent), but rather significantly better, defensively (minus-6.2 percent to the Niners’ 1.1 percent).
Still, none of the Vikings’ losses are particularly egregious, and outside of the Detroit Lions playing them tightly before succumbing to a slight victory, Minnesota has beaten teams it is better than.
Oh, and they did beat the Seattle Seahawks, so there’s that.
So let’s trepidatiously hold onto preseason predictions with this game, although recognizing Week 12 has the makings of one that will give San Francisco fits. The Vikings have playmakers at wide receiver (Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, Dede Westbrook) and running back (Dalvin Cook) who will have to be dealt with for the 49ers to come out with their first home victory in over a year.