The San Francisco 49ers were the talk of the NFL until they lost on Christmas Eve to the Baltimore Ravens. Now they’re a team that needs two more wins (in two games) to secure home-court advantage and celebrate a bye week that makes them the top seed in the conference. The first step is to beat the Washington Commanders on Sunday. The Chiefs have been a mess this season, but this is the 49ers’ trip to the East Coast. They have a tough start against West Coast teams, and the 49ers are struggling right now.
If the 49ers want to beat the Chiefs and move into first place, they will need to answer these four questions:One. How will Brock Purdy react? Brock Purdy had his worst game as an NFL quarterback on Monday night, throwing four interceptions. The first was a bad read/decision. Deebo read on 3rd and down from Samuel Purdy’s run and threw easily late as a result. I would have been impressed if I had read Samuel first or second.The second failed. Purdy’s pass hit the line of scrimmage. He fell into the arms of his defender. The third is a combination of bad decisions and bad luck. Instead of throwing the ball, Purdy decided to throw the ball to George Kittle, who was heavily covered.
The ball went past Kittle and into the arms of a defender. The entire 49ers offense was not included as Christian McCaffrey was called for an illegal interception. And the last one was not blocked properly. Colton McKeivitz came up to Purdy and passed the ball, hitting his man at the QB. Purdy is a sharp shooter and risk taker. That’s part of what makes it so good. But sometimes they try to make a play when there is no play. But he makes better decisions than any quarterback Kyle Shanahan has had with the 49ers. The good news is that Purdy had to let go of Trent Williams and faced the 32nd-ranked pass defense (31st overall).2. How will the offensive line respond? Purdy wasn’t the only one having a bad day. The offensive line was the same. They allowed too much pressure and too many shots. Williams went down, as did backup Jaylon Moore. Then left guard Aaron Banks went down. At this point, the offensive line was duct-taped, with right tackle Spencer Burford at right tackle, McKeivitz at left tackle and Ben Batch at left tackle.The good news is that the line should be a little more consistent this week and they will be facing one of the worst defenses in the league. But don’t sleep on Washington’s defensive front. This is no joke and can cause problems on the offensive line. 3. How will the lineup be structured due to injuries? The list of injured increases to 49 people. Williams should be able to play, but what about the other players? Here is a long list:DT Arik Armstead (foot, knee) will not play.
The 49ers signed DT Sebastian Joseph-Day, who should help lead the defense. Javon Kinlaw is expected to start in place of Armstead, as he did last week. Kevin Givens is also seeing a lot of action. It seems highly unlikely that Banks will play. John Feliciano will start at left tackle and Burford will return to right guard. S Ji’Ayir Brown (knee) is expected to be out for some time. In Brown’s place, we’ll likely see either Logan Ryan or Isaiah Oliver. Ryan is experienced and some defensive players seem impressed with his communication on the field.WR Jauan Jennings (concussion) is available to play but may miss another game as he remains in the concussion protocol. The 49ers opened Danny Gray’s practice window this week. He could have a chance to replace Jennings on Sunday. However, Chris Conley is the most likely replacement.Embry Thomas (hamstring) has been placed on the restricted list, which is a positive sign that he can play on Sunday. If not, will he take Jason Verrett’s place?Orenbugs (kneebugs) are also limited. If he is unable to play, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles will be the one to take his place, as he did last week.I think Moore is debatable (concussion). He still has to go through the concussion protocol, and since he played Monday night, he has a day left to do that, so I had no idea he was going to play this week.The 49ers need to win their last two games to clinch the top seed.
This team desperately needs a bye week.4. Who returns the blow? Ronnie Bell has been shaky as a punt returner in both of the last two games, throwing the ball up the floor. Will Shanahan stick with him or knock someone else down? Ray-Ray McCloud doesn’t return until Week 18 against the Rams. The returning backs are Kyle Juszczyk, Brandon Ayuk (who actually made a tackle last week) and McCaffrey, and I wouldn’t expect them to return unless they were important.Samuel McCloud was the first returner, but he is dealing with a neck injury and could see someone else. Matt Barrows noted in The Athletic’s Mailbag that Thomas has returned kicks in the past.
But he is dealing with hip problems again. If Gray is active, can he hit a rebound shot?Those four burning questions must be answered Sunday in Washington if the 49ers are to return to the Bay Area with a win. San Francisco needs two or one win to take first place in the NFC.
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