San Francisco stayed undefeated in a wet, and sloppy game in Washington on Sunday. They knocked off the home team 9-0 to move to 6-0 on the season. It wasn’t their finest win, but they’ll take it considering the rainy weather conditions.
It’s tough to take much away from a game like that, but we tried:
Road warriors
The 49ers couldn’t buy a road win a season ago. Now they can’t stop winning away from home. Their win in Washington was their fourth road victory of the year, matching their total from the last three years combined. San Francisco was the better team Sunday, but escaping with a win and not letting the weather dictate an upset was enormous.
Playing in the rain is hard
Sunday’s game was as old-school as we’ll see all year. The rainy weather led to a slippery, muddy field and a wet football. The teams combined for 437 total yards, and they completed a combined 21-of-33 passes for 196 yards and an interception. Jimmy Garoppolo had 150 of those yards. It was a wild contest where every play was liable to turn into a disaster. San Francisco will be better off not playing any more games like that, although Week 17 in Seattle has potential for it.
The 49ers need to make a move for a WR
The 49ers’ lack of productive players at receiver was exacerbated Sunday in the rain and without Deebo Samuel. They have enough receivers to cobble together some catches, but the lack of a go-to threat outside of tight end George Kittle made San Francisco way easier to defend. Eight of Garoppolo’s 20 throws went to wide receivers, and he completed four of those throws for 109 yards. A 40-yard catch and run by Richie James bolstered those numbers. Don’t be surprised if the 49ers make a move for a receiver.
Nick Bosa is a superstar
The 2019 rookie class has some really good players in it, but Bosa stands out among them. He was incredible against Washington even though they only threw it 12 times and ran it 26. He spent all game chasing running backs from the back side and setting the edge. Bosa finished with seven tackles, 1.0 sacks, a quarterback hit and four tackles for loss. He should cruise to a Defensive Rookie of the Year Award as long as he’s healthy, and his realistic ceiling this season is Defensive Player of the Year.
Red zone issues endure
The weather played a huge role in the 49ers’ offensive struggles Sunday, but their inability to score in the red zone has been an issue all year. They entered Week 7 ranked 26th in the NFL in red-zone touchdown rate, and they went 0-for-4 in Washington. It was clear that mitigating risk was a key factor in some of head coach Kyle Shanahan’s play calls, but they have to start getting into the end zone if they’re going to hang with the NFL’s other good teams.
Jimmy G’s deep throw problem
It looks like Garoppolo may have an issue throwing the ball down the field. He badly underthrew a wide open Marquise Goodwin in Los Angeles when a better throw would’ve gone for a touchdown. He did the same thing late in Sunday’s game on a ball to Kendrick Bourne. Another one of his deep shots was intercepted against Washington, but that had more to do with the read than ball placement. He’s not lacking the arm strength to get throws into the third level, but it looks he’s trying to be too fine with his accuracy. He has to trust his receivers to go make a play when he uncorks the ball down the field. This is the next evolution of the 49ers’ passing attack. An entirely new portion of their offense opens if he starts completing those passes with regularity.
