3 Takeaways from 49ers' Week 10 Loss

The San Francisco 49ers' 2020 season continued to trend in a troubling direction on Sunday afternoon.

The 49ers lost to the New Orleans Saints 27-13 at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, their third straight loss to drop them to 4-6. San Francisco currently sits in last place in the tough NFC West, and it will need to get back on track quickly after its Week 11 bye if it hopes to return to the playoffs this season.

Things started well for the 49ers on Sunday. They scored the first 10 points of the game and trailed by only seven at halftime. However, the Saints were in the process of scoring 27 consecutive points at the time, and they pulled away in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

San Francisco's injury woes also continued, as running back JaMychal Hasty (broken collarbone) and safety Johnathan Cyprien (hamstring) left the game. It's been one of the stories of the 49ers' season so far and has been a big reason why the defending NFC champions have struggled as much as they have.

Here are three takeaways from San Francisco's loss on Sunday.

Turnovers Ruined the Offense's Day

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Early in the game, the 49ers offense was showing positive signs. They marched 75 yards on 13 plays on their opening drive, capped by a four-yard touchdown pass from Nick Mullens to Brandon Aiyuk. Then, they capitalized on a muffed punt and strong field position to take a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter.

San Francisco couldn't keep it going, though, especially once it started giving the ball away. It committed four turnovers, two of which came on special teams and two that were interceptions by Mullens. He was picked off on the 49ers' first drive of the second half, and again on their final possession. Both came when San Francisco was in field-goal range.

"When you're playing a good team like that, the mistakes are going to be that much more crucial," Mullens said, according to Guerry Smith of the Associated Press. "We proved that today. We needed a disciplined, sound game."

In addition to those turnovers, the 49ers had another drive end at the Saints' 1-yard line. With the game tied at 10 late in the first half, San Francisco turned the ball over on downs, despite having two tries from the 1. Running back Jerick McKinnon was stuffed for a loss of two yards on a fourth-down attempt.

The opportunities were there for the 49ers, but they couldn't capitalize. And with starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo among the key players out due to injury, Mullens continues to endure some struggles. In his past four games, Mullens has thrown five interceptions.

Special Teams Mistakes Were Also Costly

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It wasn't just Mullens turning the ball over. The 49ers also had a pair of plays on special teams that halted their momentum and led to easy points for the Saints.

In the second quarter, Ken Webster muffed a punt return, which gave New Orleans the ball at San Francisco's 21-yard line. That drive ended with a two-yard touchdown run by running back Alvin Kamara, which tied the game at 10 with 6:48 remaining before halftime.

The next one may have been even more costly. With 9:09 to go in the fourth quarter, Richie James was set to return a punt for the 49ers. However, he also muffed it, which put the Saints at San Francisco's 22-yard line. Three plays later, New Orleans took a 27-10 lead on a one-yard touchdown run by Kamara.

If the 49ers had fielded those punts cleanly, it's possible they could have gone on to score points on one or both of those possessions, and the defense may have fared better had the Saints not started their drives already almost in the red zone.

"If we had taken care of the ball better today, we would have had a very good chance to be in that game," San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said, per Smith. "We blew an opportunity there. Those turnovers are what killed us."

The Bye Week Is Coming at the Right Time

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The 49ers have lost three straight games for the first time since the 2018 season. They're banged up on both sides of the ball, including numerous standout players. It's a great time for San Francisco to have a week off and regroup.

And that's just what the 49ers will get to do in Week 11 when they have their bye. But time is already quickly running out for San Francisco in the NFC West race.

The 49ers are the only team in the division currently with a losing record, with the Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams all 6-3 and battling for playoff berths. But San Francisco owns a win over Los Angeles, and it will have an opportunity to earn another one in Week 12.

In Weeks 16 and 17, the 49ers will end the regular season with games against the Cardinals and Seahawks. So they'll have a chance to make things in the division even more competitive if they can come back and beat their rivals down the stretch.

But first, San Francisco will look to use its bye week to get healthy.