Niners Nation
Looking at a few overreactions from the San Francisco 49ers’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks and tying it into the rest of the season
Monday’s are meant for overreactions. After a win, we often ignore the miscues because the San Francisco 49ers won on the scoreboard. But the day after a loss, somebody has to be fired. A coach or a player needs to be held accountable.
What overreactions do we have for this week? Let’s talk playoffs, coaching, and each side of the ball.
The playoff odds for the 49ers predictably dipped after falling to 5-5. However, suggesting the season is over ignores not only history but also the state of the NFC.
The product in the NFL has been lackluster this year. In the NFC, over half the teams are either .500 or worse. Somehow, the 49ers are sixth in point-differential at +28. While this isn’t the same team from years past, I wouldn’t count San Francisco out just yet.
The 49ers' next two games are on the road and come against two teams that are a combined 16-5. So if the 49ers return from the road trip 5-7, then stick a fork in them. Did you watch Green Bay against Chicago on Sunday?
Jordan Love wants to throw the ball to the other team. Speaking of the Bears, they’re on the schedule three weeks from now and allowed the Packers to gain over eight yards per play. The Rams, Dolphins, and Cardinals are all must-win. Each of those defenses is below average.
Escaping this two-game road stretch with a victory puts the 49ers in a position to win the NFC West, which is the easiest path to the playoffs. Going 0-2 ends any playoff hopes, barring a perfect December and January. Still, the 49ers season is far from finished, and I think there’s a better chance this team will reach ten wins than finish .500.
I think the 49ers will find a way to sneak into the playoffs.
Verdict: Overreaction
The scoring at home has been underwhelming — 17, 30, 18, 23. That’s how many points the 49ers have scored at home during their previous five games, and the 30 burger came against the Dallas Cowboys, so let’s draw a red line through that score.
The 49ers are 26th in the NFL in red zone scoring percentage. It hasn’t turned around yet, so I’m reluctant to assume that’ll change after a 10-game sample size. The explosive plays we saw against Tampa Bay were non-existent against Seattle.
So, which game do we believe the 49ers to be moving forward? The Week 11 offense with 146 passing yards and one play over 20 yards, or the Week 10 offense with 338 passing yards and five separate receivers have receptions of at least 30 yards? The answer is somewhere in the middle, but I...
