Four Takeaways From the 49ers' 41-33 Week 15 Loss Against the Cowboys
Playoffs and "revenge tour" can finally be put to the rest for the 49ers. Losing to the Dallas Cowboys was the nail in the coffin for them. They now have nothing to play for in the final two games of the season.
All that is left to look forward to is the offseason transactions that await the 49ers with their 40-plus free agents. But before that preview can take place, there was still some takeaways to discuss from Sunday.
Here are four takeaways from the 49ers' 41-34 Week 15 loss against the Cowboys.
49ers should have started C.J. Beathard
Nick Mullens was abysmal again for the 49ers. His three turnovers lead to points every single time for the Cowboys, which made it an impossible uphill climb for the 49ers. Seeing that many turnovers should not come as a surprise from Mullens. He is who he is: a ticking time bomb for mistakes. That is why prior to the game I advocated for C.J. Beathard to get the start. There was no better game to roll out Beathard than against lowly defense like the Cowboys.
Now I am not saying the 49ers would have blown out the Cowboys or anything like that, but there is no reason to not start Beathard. The 49ers spent a third-round pick on him and refuse to start him. Just put him on the field and see if he cannot provide an improvement or something promising. The worst that can happen has already happened for the 49ers with Mullens. At least you can exhaust all options with Beathard out there. Why not at this point.
Brandon Aiyuk needs to be the punt returner
Yet another special teams gaff occurred for the 49ers on punt return. Wide receiver Richie James Jr. coughed up the football with the Cowboys recovering with a short field to work with. Sure enough, they took advantage of the costly mistake and scored a touchdown from it. Whether it is James Jr. or Trent Taylor, the 49ers cannot find a firm grip at punt return. That is because Kyle Shanahan is too stubborn to see that Brandon Aiyuk needs to be the punt returner.
Aiyuk gives the 49ers big-play ability as a returner. Not to mention that they can trust him in that situation to not be loose with the football. This whole frightened mentality about him potentially sustaining an injury is weak. The Cowboys allowed CeeDee Lamb to return punts and they did so even with Michael Gallup being ruled out of the game. Even a team as incompetent as the Cowboys understands the underrated role of a punt returner. Aiyuk needs to be the guy going forward because he can house one or at least give the offense a favorable starting point.
Richard Sherman leaving is more than just a lack of salary cap space
Richard Sherman looked like a stud against the Rams in his first game back from injury. Jared Goff just could not do anything to get by him. But since that game, Sherman has looked weak. The guy is living up to the concerns that I had of him in his return from injury, which is that he'll be slower and softer. He cannot cover as well nor can he tackle anymore.
Sherman just doesn't have it anymore. His top-10-cornerback days are long gone. There is a reason that Robert Saleh places Sherman as a safety on obvious passing downs now. He needs to put Sherman high up to give him the cushion to recover in most situations. Luckily for Saleh, he has adequate corners at his disposal, especially with Ahkello Witherspoon looking good. It is games like against Dallas that proves that
Sherman leaving the 49ers in the offseason is more than just a lack of salary cap space. The 49ers would be insane to give him any decent sum of money. Sherman is on the downward slope of his career and is injury prone. Forget any decent sum of money, just ANY funds for him is not wise for the 49ers when they should invest in a future player. Sherman was great for the 49ers, but now he is just a lost cause for them.
49ers are WASTING their defense's great performances
The 49ers' defense has been impressive for the vast majority of the season. Every game, they give opposing offenses a run for their money and keep it manageable for their own offense to win the game. Unfortunately, rolling out a backup quarterback like Mullens is capping what the offense can do. The 49ers are WASTING their defense's great performances. Their run game is still effective and holds up their end of the bargain. Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. look like a phenomenal duo.
But heavily relying on the run game cannot work. Mullens has to hit throws in spurts of the games, which more likely than not are failures on his end. Fans of the 49ers must not take for granted these defensive performances. Saleh is as good as gone once the season is up and it is difficult to imagine any other defensive coordinator stepping in and garnering similar results. It is going to be interesting to see what the drop off will be for the defense.
