One Thing the 49ers Should Be Optimistic About
Feeling positive about the 49ers is tough nowadays.
It almost feels like a challenge to do so after their gut wrenching loss to the Chiefs. The defense was molly whopped, the offense continued to stink, and the special teams looks as abysmal as last year. Right now, the 49ers do not look like playoff contenders. And if it wasn't for a porous NFC, then there would be serious doubt about their chances.
Still, not all is gloom and doom with the 49ers. In fact, their loss to the Chiefs can benefit them the rest of the season. There is one overlooked reason to be optimistic about the 49ers going forward.
That optimistic reason is the defense. Getting completely dismantled by Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid is not what we have seen from the 49ers all season long. Yet, the Chiefs did it with such ease. And thanks to their dismantling, DeMeco Ryans now has weak points exposed to him that he can address and look to correct going forward.
The Chiefs showed the 49ers that it is possible to use their aggression against them and that their are faults to their soft zone-coverage. Ryans can use this game as a means to tie up loose ends so that when they come across another lethal offense, they won't be taken by surprise and can have a counter for it. I have the utmost confidence that Ryans can learn from his mistakes and polish up his players with their own as well following their loss to the Chiefs.
It was a learning experience for them. The 49ers had not faced a valiant offense all season long. Kansas City was their first real blockbuster challenge and they failed to match them miserably. Now it is on Ryans, his staff, and the players to get it together. Losing is never a desire from anyone, but this loss can be treated as a benefit the rest of the way. The Chiefs showed the 49ers their weaknesses, so now it is up to them to correct them.
No longer should they be surprised if an offense copycats the Chiefs' game plan, which some team definitely will try to copycat hence the NFL being a "copycat league." Most offenses are not the Chiefs of course, so the odds of the 49ers facing someone who can replicate their plan to absolute perfection is unlikely. But they still must brace for what is to come and tighten things up.
The 49ers will only go as far as their defense takes them. If they're not elite on a weekly basis, then scoring a win is going to be extremely difficult.
