The 49ers are learning more and more about their sobering reality of 2020 as they tread through a roller coaster season.
They're good enough to win some games in the right circumstances — which have a lot to do with the health of Jimmy Garoppolo's right ankle — and they're going to get exposed against opponents who get better quarterback play than San Francisco.
The 49ers' last four weeks paint the picture. They couldn't slow down Ryan Fitzpatrick on Oct. 11 in a blowout loss to the Dolphins, much like they couldn't stop Russell Wilson or D.K. Metcalf on Sunday in Seattle. Another common thread was Garoppolo's inability to finish either of those games because of his balky ankle.
Those poor performances against Miami and Seattle sandwiched encouraging wins over the Rams and Patriots, who didn't get good games from their quarterbacks, Jared Goff or Cam Newton.
Which all goes a long way towards encapsulating the team's 4-4 record, the worst mark in the NFC West.
Sunday's game in Seattle, in which the 49ers trailed 30-7 early in the fourth quarter before Nick Mullens led three straight touchdown drives against the Seahawks' prevent defense, might have put the final nail in the idea the 49ers could make a run at winning the NFC West despite their constant bout with injuries.
"You have to play well to have a good game and I don't think we played very well today," head coach Kyle Shanahan said when asked about overcoming injuries. "It started with me. I made a few too many mistakes. We got it going there a little bit in the fourth quarter, but I don't think we played well as a group."
