How Mitch Wishnowsky's Absence Could Hurt the 49ers Against the Texans
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Two weeks ago, we thought the 49ers were a lock to make the playoffs and beat the Houston Texans this Sunday.
Now, the 49ers pretty much have to beat the Texans to make the playoffs, and beating Houston is no given. And not just because Jimmy Garoppolo could miss the game with a thumb injury.
Punter Mitch Wishnowsky also could miss the game. The 49ers placed him on the Reserve/COVID-19 List on Monday. He will have to pass two Covid tests before he can return to the playing field. So the 49ers special teams potentially could take a hit. And their special teams were bad already.
Replacing Wishnowsky with a punter off the street shouldn't be a big challenge, because Wishnowsky isn't a particularly good punter. He shanks short punts weekly. I'm confident the 49ers can sign a free agent punter who can replicate Wishnowsky's modest net yards per punt average.
But Wishnowsky is much more than just a punter for the 49ers. He also is their holder and their kickoff specialist. So if he can't play, the 49ers will need to replace him with three different people -- a punter, a holder and kickoff specialist.
The backup holder probably will be third-string quarterback Nate Sudfeld. How much time has he and kicker Robbie Gould spent together practicing field goals and extra points? How good of a holder is Sudfeld? Will he cost the 49ers a field goal this Sunday?
The backup kickoff specialist most likely will be Gould, which means he'll have to do more kicking this Sunday. The 49ers made Wishnowsky the kickoff specialist primarily to preserve Gould's leg and not wear him out. Will these kickoffs affect his field goal attempts?
Will special teams cost the 49ers yet another game they should win?
