49ers Super Bowl Hopes Damper in 43-17 Loss to Dolphins
Losing to the Miami Dolphins 43-17 at home puts a damper on the San Francisco 49ers' Super Bowl hopes.
As a matter of fact, this team should not even think about the Super Bowl right now.
The 49ers are in absolute shambles.
This is not a Super Bowl contending team. Heck, they probably aren't even a playoff team at this point. A playoff team would not have been handled so easily by average-to-subpar teams two weeks in a row.
Losing to the Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles and now the Dolphins are inexcusable losses. They should have never happened. Yes, injuries played a factor into these losses, but great teams are able to overcome them. The 49ers had the full strength of their offense back against the Dolphins, yet couldn't even manage to light up the scoreboard.
So what is the issue with this team?
The clear issue is head coach Kyle Shanahan. Anytime a talented team cannot put it together, the head coach must bear responsibility.
Shanahan is having a questionable season at best thus far and it doesn't just stem from his play calling. He really believed that starting Brian Allen at cornerback, who hadn't played a game since 2018, was good enough to keep the defense afloat. How idiotic of a decision was that? Allen gave up practically half of the Dolphins' points.
Yes, you can criticize defensive coordinator Robert Saleh for not giving Allen help. But it is Shanahan who makes the call on who starts and when to pull the plug. Not only should he have pulled Allen earlier, but he should have never made the decision to start him. A lot of Shanahan's decision making this season has cost the 49ers.
So what about the decision to start Jimmy Garoppolo? Maybe it is really all on him instead? He obviously had himself a poor game and, outside of one superb half against the New York Jets, has looked poor all season. Garoppolo is certainly a reason for the 49ers' shortcomings, but Shanahan is the one leading the downfall.
He has the 49ers sitting in last place in the NFC West at 2-3. At this point, the 49ers shouldn't even worry about the division and try to focus on a wild card spot because that seems to be the best that they are getting.
Shanahan didn't do enough to get his team ready for the Cardinals in Week 1. San Francisco clearly overlooked them. Shanahan didn't do enough to get Nick Mullens ready against the Eagles and couldn't adjust. Shanahan didn't do enough to get his team ready against the Dolphins whose defense had been atrocious coming into Week 5.
There is no longer any swagger with this team nor is there a fear factor about them. As soon as the 49ers lost to the Eagles, any fear or threat about facing them went out the window. Once they lost to the Eagles, it gave the Dolphins a clear indication that they could beat this team.
The 49ers went 2-3 in their easiest stretch of the season. Now they have to get ready to face the Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, and Green Bay Packers. I do not see a single win in that stretch. Super Bowl hopes took a hit for the 49ers, but now it may start causing this team to unravel completely.
