Five reasons 49ers will beat resilient Washington in Week 14
Two teams with identical records will face off Sunday, but the situations the 49ers and the Washington Football Team find themselves in entering Week 14 are quite different.The 49ers are in last place in the NFC West, and essentially must win out and get some help in order to sneak into the NFL’s expanded playoffs as a wild card team. Washington, meanwhile, is riding a three-game winning streak and most recently handed the Pittsburgh Steelers their first loss. In the laughable NFC East of 2020, Washington is tied for the best record with the New York Giants.Alex Smith has Washington on a roll, and the former 49ers No. 1 pick needs to keep it going against a San Francisco defense that struggled to contain Josh Allen’s mobility a week ago.For the second week in a row, the 49ers will play a “home” game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. as Santa Clara County’s ban on contact sports remains in place.The 49ers won in a wet and sloppy contest in Washington last season, and here are five reasons why the 49ers will keep a foot in the door in the playoff chase and beat the Football Team on Sunday.
Trent Williams told reporters this week that he holds no grudges against Washington as an organization, but he did spend the entire 2019 season mired in an ugly dispute with the medical staff over their handling of his cancer diagnosis and contract status.
He has said all the right things publicly, but there’s no question Williams will be fired up to face the team he spent his first nine NFL seasons with.
The 49ers’ offensive line will be going up against a young and highly productive Washington defensive line, and Williams should have that group motivated and ready to battle Sunday.
Given the 49ers’ offensive limitations, their key to victory will be controlling the ball and putting together long drives ending with points. With running back Antonio Gibson out for Washington, their already below-average offense loses a valuable piece.
Nick Mullens will need to be efficient and play mistake-free football, but coach Kyle Shanahan will be going to his running game early and often.
There's good news for the 49ers on that front, as San Francisco ranks among the NFL’s top 10 teams in average time of possession.
The 49ers keep Smith and the Washington offense off the field as much as they can, and San Francisco wins a slugfest in the desert.
Washington, like the 49ers, also played on Monday night, defeating the previously unbeaten Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a physical game, one that saw Smith take three sacks and take 10 total hits from Pittsburgh’s bruising defense.
Sunday also will be Washington’s third consecutive road game, and while the 49ers have remained in Arizona throughout the week, the Football Team has flown back from Pittsburgh and then turned around and traveled all the way to the Southwest.
The 49ers take advantage of a worn-down Washington team and get the win.
It’s simple. Put the ball in Deebo Samuel’s hands, and the second-year wideout will make a play. An offseason foot fracture delayed the start of Samuel’s season, but in each of the last two weeks, he’s topped five catches and 70 receiving yards.
Over his brief NFL career, the 49ers are much better when Samuel is involved in the offense. The 49ers are 9-2 in games which Deebo finishes with more than four catches.
Brandon Aiyuk has come on strong in his rookie season, but Deebo is one of the NFL’s more unique threats at wide receiver, and as long as he is getting his touches, the 49ers’ chances at winning increase.
Shanahan told reporters this week that he would like to see the retractable roof at State Farm Stadium be closed for the remainder of the 49ers’ home games there, including Sunday’s game against Washington.
Playing indoors certainly will benefit Robbie Gould and Dustin Hopkins, who is Washington’s kicker. But with a much less experienced QB like Mullens, removing the element of weather stands to make life easier for the 49ers’ offense.
Add in that Alex Smith’s passer rating is a full 12 points lower indoors than it is when he plays outdoors, and closing the roof sounds like an ideal scenario for San Francisco.
