What to Expect from Vernon Davis, 49ers Offense in Week 16

The San Francisco 49ers have officially been eliminated from the 2014 postseason, putting an end to a disappointing season filled with brimming optimism at the start.

At 7-7, the 49ers could conceivably finish below .500 for the first time in the Jim Harbaugh era.

Eventually, the 49ers will need to make a decision on the future of Harbaugh in San Fran, which is something general manager Trent Baalke has announced will be made at the conclusion of this season. For now, barring any shocking developments, Harbaugh will be the head coach for the remainder of season.

Even with nothing to play for, the 49ers should try to finish the season strong. I understand losing will help with draft placement, but the organization needs some positive momentum heading into the offseason.

While deserved, there is too much negativity surrounding a 49ers team looking to put 2014 in the rear-view mirror. These last two games should serve as a teaching moment for a team that should play more loosely with playoff expectations out of the window.

Fans want to see improvement from this abysmal offense, in particular from players who have underperformed in 2014. We're looking at you, Vernon Davis.

Let's dig in and find out what we could expect from Davis and this 49ers offense against the San Diego Chargers in Week 16.

Big-Play Ability 

In previous years, Davis was considered one of the most explosive players at any position. At age 30, I wonder if Davis has lost some of that explosiveness that made him a special player.

Davis was never a consistent player, even at his peak. This was mostly due to the constraints of the offense and his role within the 49ers run-first scheme, but Davis always showed up in big games.

Let's take a look at Davis's statistical campaigns over the last few years:

Year	Receptions	Yards	Average	TD
2011	67	792	11.8	6
2012	41	548	13.4	5
2013	52	850	16.3	13
2014	25	236	9.4	2

The dip in production in 2014 is a bit alarming. Yes, the offense as a whole has struggled and Davis has dealt with some nagging injuries, but we can't overlook that Davis will likely finish with the second-lowest reception total since his rookie season.

Not to mention, his average yards per reception has dropped below double digits for the first time since 2007.

Major statistical dips like this can usually be attributed to less playing time or missed games. At this point in the season, Davis has 12 games under his belt. For what the 49ers are paying him, this is too much of a drop-off for a Pro Bowl-caliber tight end.

While many would like to see Davis flash big-play ability in the last two games of the season, I just can't see him getting back on track here. The Chargers boast a top-10 pass defense that doesn't give up a lot of big plays through the air.

Passion and Effort

We can't measure passion and effort through stats, so I can't give you a number here. However, Davis' body language on the field looks different than in years past.

On one hand, I can't blame the guy for not looking excited when his role in a supposedly pass-oriented offense is limited. Simply put, Davis is being paid like a top-shelf receiving tight end, but in reality he's playing like a blocking specialist.

Don't get me wrong, being a great blocker is a great attribute for a tight end. However, what made Davis great was his ability to be great as both a blocker and a receiver.

For whatever reason, his role as a receiver has diminished considerably since scoring two touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys in the season opener.

Mathew Sumner/Associated Press

Now, here comes the bad part. As I stated before, Davis just doesn't look motivated out on the football field. While his role has been dramatically reduced, Davis has had other opportunities to make big plays, but execution seems to be lacking with the veteran.

It's human nature to be disappointed when your role shrinks on offense, but that shouldn't stop Davis from taking advantage of opportunities when they do present themselves.

Will we see a motivated Davis this Sunday? I'm not so sure, especially since the 49ers have nothing to play for. Davis could be playing for his job next year if he doesn't finish the season strong, though.

This leads me to the root of the problem with Davis.

2015 and Beyond? 

At some point during the offseason, I had a gut feeling that Davis's failed extension talks with the 49ers' front office would come back to bite the team sometime in the season.

The 49ers had other issues to deal with, namely the shocking Harbaugh-to-Cleveland rumors that were coming to light courtesy of Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, so the sight of Davis holding out was not pretty.

While Davis eventually reported, I had a sinking feeling that Davis's contract situation could potentially affect his play in 2014.

I don't want to insinuate that Davis gave up on the season, but rather his future with the 49ers beyond 2014 has served as a distraction. Regardless, if Davis is putting up this sort of production, the 49ers can't bring him back under his current price tag.

Despite being eliminated from the postseason, I'm sure the organization will want to see its veteran tight end finish the season strong.

However, I just can't see Davis somehow turning it on to close out the season.

While it would be great for fans to see some semblance of the old 49ers offense on Sunday, I can't fully put my trust in a player or team that has looked lost for most of the season.