Three Takeaways From the 49ers' 23-15 Week 14 Loss to Washington
The playoffs are an extreme longshot for the San Francisco 49ers after their 23-15 Week 14 loss to the Washington Football Team.
Without too much to look forward to now for the rest of the season, my takeaways from the 49ers' loss will dive into a big-picture outlook.
49ers need a new quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo, Nick Mullens, C.J. Beathard. Each of these quarterbacks have seen action this season under center. And each of these quarterbacks have shown to frustrate head coach Kyle Shanahan. It never fails that Shanahan gets animated on an absurd throw by one of his quarterbacks. For those of you that like to take a look at the all-22 film, it has become quite the meme to see Shanahan express his frustrations through his body language.
In order for Shanahan to reduce the amount of frustration, the 49ers are going to need a new quarterback. A quarterback that Shanahan can actually select and groom to be the starter, not a destined backup like Beathard. It does not matter how many injured players this team has. Each quarterback turns over the football at an alarming level that stonewalls the offense.
They need more out of the quarterback position and Garoppolo is not an elevating quarterback. He is someone to help steer the ship, but not lead the way and give out directions. As for the backups, the book is out on Mullens and Beathard. Neither of these guys are adequate in their roles and only one of them should be expected to return in 2021.
Mike McGlinchey is expendable
Has there been a more disappointing player this season than Mike McGlinchey? In 2019, he was stout in the run game and solid enough in pass protection. This season, he is more miss than hit with his blocking in both facets. For whatever reason, McGlinchey joined Joe Staley in his weight loss and it is clearly contributing to his regression. He is getting pushed around by everyone on the opposing defense. It never fails with this guy.
His performance this season has made him expendable and the 49ers should start to inquire about replacements. McGlinchey is just too much of a liability. Even if he gets his strength and weight back, a lot of issues still come from his technique. The 49ers are in a pinch here because they still have needs at the center position. They might just be forced to hang onto McGlinchey and hope he bounces back in 2021. At this rate, his fifth-year option won't be picked up.
It's time to start the younger talent
Now that the 49ers are in an impossible situation to make the playoffs, it is time to start the younger talent on the roster. That means players like Colton McKivitz, Charlie Woerner and Justin Skule need to receive more run. At this point, the 49ers just need to start planting the seeds for next season. These young players lost a lot of reps from a lack of an offseason.
Increasing their playing time or starting them will only make up for it and give them something build on going into the offseason. With a salary cap that is once again going to be tight and not many draft picks, the 49ers need to ensure that their young talent currently rostered turns into adequate depth players. Veteran players such as Richard Sherman and Mike McGlinchey need to make way for these players to act as their potential replacements.
