(Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images)

With a brutal loss to Atlanta now in the rear-view mirror, the high from the previous wins has come to a crashing halt.

Were we too optimistic? Were the successful 49ers of the past weeks merely an illusion?

The answer to that is both yes and no. No, the 49ers who played so well in the opening quarter of the 2009 season were legitimate. They played well and beat the teams they needed to.

But yes, we were perhaps a bit premature in our enthusiasm for the team based on its success. Arizona has played hungover from their Super Bowl loss, Seattle had injury issues and the Rams are...well, let's just say 'a tragedy' and leave well enough alone.

Those are teams you should beat. The loss to Minnesota contained a promising effort as well, but also showed a few things which Atlanta was later able to exploit to advantage. 

As the team heads into its Bye Week, there are definitely things Coach Mike Singletary and his staff will be working on, and they don't only involve getting later-arriving rookie wide receiver Michael Crabtree up to speed. 

The 49ers are a solid team in many areas, but here are five things they need to work on to get better and get into the playoffs. 

IMPROVE OFFENSIVE LINE PLAY

The 49ers want to rely on the run game and that’s all well and good, but the rest of the offense still needs to be vital and effective.

A ranking of 29 out of 32 teams after five weeks in overall offense is neither. The most glaring culprit is the offensive line, which has given up 16 sacks, fifth worst in the league.  

Constant pressure is certainly not helping quarterback Shaun Hill or the 30th-ranked passing offense. Just five touchdowns with 804 yards total and a mere 55.9 completion percentage are a sad tale for this offense.

While Hill is far from Tom Brady/Peyton Manning, he can do better. In order for that percentage to come up, he needs the time to throw the ball.

Singletary has said he will probably make some changes coming out of the bye and he has to. Otherwise, this offense will continue to struggle.

This may not an offense built to come from behind. It still needs to move the ball, though, if just to pull the defense of Frank Gore and Glen Coffee.

If the team is going to survive the season, they have to do more than that though. They have to be able to move the ball through the air.

The offensive line has to do more to help them out.

GET IT DONE ON THIRD DOWN

You cannot win games if your third down percentage in 28% like the 49ers. The Niners are 27th in the league in converting their third downs.

Some of the problem certainly comes because of the aforementioned offensive linemen issues. And as they aren’t killing it on first down, it puts the offense in a position of being third and long, which allows opposing defenses to tee off on Hill.

That may not have mattered against the Rams and a banged up Seahawks team, but it hurt the team against the Vikings and the Falcons.

Against better teams, the 49ers very much need to convert those third downs. They have to keep opposing offenses off the field and allow their defenses to catch their breath.

The idea behind a run-centered offense like the one the 49ers want to run is they milk the clock.

You don’t convert a third down and you fail at that very important aspect of your game-plan.

Addendum to the first part: they also need to be effective on the first two downs. If you want to make life easier for your third down unit, you’d better be effective on your first two downs.

BALANCE THE CARRIES

Yes, Frank Gore’s injury wasn’t from wearing down, but it’s still a concern.

Until he was injured, nearly every carry was Gore’s. Good for his value to fantasy football players, but perhaps not for high productivity at the end of the season.

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