NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
What’s wrong with the San Francisco 49ers? In their last 3 games, the 49ers fell to the Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings, and Cincinnati Bengals. Fans will point at injuries but not at the fact that teams may have figured out how to not only stop them but score on that vaunted defense.
Last season, with Brock Purdy leading the charge, the 49ers were the hot topic in the final weeks of the season and heading into the playoffs. But then the injury to Purdy happened in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles and the feel-good story didn’t have a happy ending.
Through the first 5 weeks of the 2023-24 campaign, the San Francisco 49ers were running through the NFL. Then Deebo Samuel went down and so did the team’s morale. But wait, they still could rely on Purdy and all-purpose back Christian McCaffrey, right?
McCaffrey has scored in 17 straight games but teams are limiting his success. Let him score them shut him down and make the 49ers one-dimensional. So far, this plan has worked for the last 3 teams. And the 49ers can’t seem to find an answer for anything.
Purdy has been average at best. The receiving core is not the same without Samuels and McCaffrey can’t do it all. Are we seeing the end to their great run, already?
As far as that stellar defense, take a look at some of these numbers. Over the course of their losing streak, the 49ers have surrendered 72 points. This was once the strength of their team and now, it’s their weakness. Can they right the ship before they get passed over?
Will The San Francisco 49ers Make The Playoffs
Ball control has played an important role in the run but Purdy has not been the same QB he was in the final stages of last season and the first 5 games of this season. during their losing streak, he has thrown for 3 TDs and 5 INTs. Even the great McCaffrey has struggled. In that same stretch, he has rushed the ball 38 times for 142 yards. Something is not clicking here.
On the defensive side of the ball, the San Francisco 49ers have not fared any better. They have registered just 5 sacks against non-mobile QBs. Where is the production from all the money they spent up front? With the offense struggling, the defense has to step up, right?
Yes, it is a cause for concern. This is what teams with expectations must overcome. With winning comes expectations. Losing streaks happen in sports but the 49ers were not supposed to go through this. Not with Purdy being labeled as the new “it” guy and McCaffrey on a TD tear. It was supposed to be smooth sailing through the NFC. This was their Conference to lose, especially after they ravaged the Dallas Cowboys earlier.
More questions are to come and with a Bye Week, they must go back to the drawing board. How can they fix an offense that has lost its identity? How can they fix a QB who may be finally showing signs of why he was drafted where he was drafted? And an offense with careful game-planning and speed can score on this once-vaunted defense.
It’s still time for the San Francisco 49ers to remedy their issues. But why they’re trying to catch their breath, other teams in the NFC are catching their stride. Things must be fixed before it’s too late. Not claiming them one-season wonder like the New York Giants, but if it quacks like a duck….
