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The 4 Worst-Performing 49ers at the Bye Week

Including one massive disappointment.
Oct 4, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA;  San Francisco 49ers kicker Eddy Pineiro (18) kicks a field goal against the Denver Broncos during the first half at Levi's Stadium.  Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Oct 4, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers kicker Eddy Pineiro (18) kicks a field goal against the Denver Broncos during the first half at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In this story:

With the San Francisco 49ers on their Bye Week, it makes for the perfect time to review who their worst performers have been this season. Let's dive in.

Eddy Pineiro

Eddy Pineiro
Oct 4, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers place kicker Eddy Pineiro (18) prepares to kick an extra point during the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

By far, kicker Eddy Pineiro has been the worst 49ers player this season. It's been astonishing to see after he was a hero last season when the 49ers finally moved on from Jake Moody.

Pineiro has missed three of his nine field goal attempts this season for a 66.7% conversion rate. But his most egregious performance has come on extra-point attempts.

He's missed 21 of 25 attempts, for an 84% conversion rate. Pineiro has the yips this season and has shown zero signs of getting himself out of it.

It's only a matter of time before he costs the 49ers a game. The one saving grace is that, of all the 49ers who needed the Bye Week, it was Pineiro.

He can use this time away to reset his mind. Usually, the yips is a mental issue, so by being away, Pineiro can forget all of his woes and bounce back for the second half of the season.

Jacob Cowing

Jacob Cowing
Oct 4, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jacob Cowing (4) carries the ball against the Denver Broncos during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What a frustrating player wide receiver Jacob Cowing has been. Most of his issues have been as a punt returner, where he oddly fields punts around the five-yard line rather than letting the ball bounce into the end zone.

Cowing has cost the 49ers valuable field position on numerous occasions this season. His worst play this year was in Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks.

Cowing was fielding a punt in the first quarter, and rather than calling an obvious fair catch, he elected to field the punt, allowing a Seahawks player to force a fumble.

Seattle would recover the ball with perfect field position and would score a touchdown shortly thereafter. Cowing has been a negative factor for the 49ers.

Whenever Deebo Samuel gets healthy, they need to have him be the return specialist instead of Cowing. Otherwise, they will make games much more difficult to win.

Jack Jones

Jack Jones
Aug 20, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers cornerback Jack Jones (25) reacts in the second half ]against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cornerback Jack Jones was so bad this season that the 49ers chose him as the player to release when they officially acquired DeForest Buckner.

Jones couldn't make a single positive play after a pretty solid Week 1 outing. The final straw was when he was a penalty machine in the 49ers' loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The 49ers will no longer be subjected to his errant play.

Nick Bosa

Nick Bosa
Sep 11, 2026; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa at press conference after the 2026 NFL Melbourne Game against the Los Angeles Rams at Melbourne Cricket Ground. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's not that Nick Bosa has been a bad performer this season. In fact, in the two games he's played, he's been good. However, it's because he's only played two games that he's been a "bad" performer.

Rather, he's been a massive disappointment, so he gets an asterisk in this list. Bosa cannot be relied upon when he returns because it's likely he will get hurt again. He's such a letdown.


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Jose Luis Sanchez III
JOSE SANCHEZ

Jose Luis Sanchez III has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily for FanNation since 2019. He started off as the lead publisher for FanNation's All49ers, then switched positions to become the Deputy Editor in 2020. Sanchez writes, edits, and produces videos daily for All49ers. He also co-hosts a show on YouTube with All49ers lead publisher Grant Cohn weekly. Prior to FanNation, Sanchez started his writing career back in 2016 for the school newspaper at Skyline college where he covered all sports team in the Bay Area. Following that from 2017 to 2019, he found a role as a contributor for FanSided's news desk along with their site's Just Blog Baby covering the Las Vegas Raiders and Golden Gate Sports every professional Bay Area sports team. Atop all of that, he was able to graduate with a Bachelors degree in Communication Studies at San Francisco State University in 2020. Sanchez is committed to ensuring he delivers transparent analysis and straightforward opinions that resonates with readers to get them thinking.

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