San Francisco 49ers Get A Win, But Are The Playoffs Still A Realistic Goal?
The San Francisco 49ers got their first win of the season last Sunday against the Oakland Raiders. It wasn't pretty, but it was a win nonetheless.
The Niners are now 1-5, while the other teams in the NFC West all have three wins. The division does not look quite as inept as has been reported by many in the media.
The playoffs are still a possibility, but it remains a long shot. Although the 49ers won this past Sunday, they must play a lot better if they hope to salvage their season.
Here's what the 49ers must do, in order to improve their playoff chances over the upcoming weeks.
# 8 Strong Coaching
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The San Francisco 49ers need stronger coaching from the top down. It starts with head coach Mike Singletary. He is fighting for his job and the team needs to build on their first win and defeat Carolina this Sunday.
Singletary has, at times, appeared to be unravelling. The team is still playing hard for him, but they will need to come up big in these next two travel games.
Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky made some good adjustments after the Oakland Raiders dominated the Niners on their first two drives. In the first drive, the Raiders went 79 yards and in the second, they drove 85 yards.
Fortunately for San Francisco, their defense was able to hold the Raiders to just field goals. For the remainder of the game, the Raiders could only muster 15 more net yards and one more field goal.
Since replacing Jimmy Raye as offensive coordinator, Mike Johnson has opened up the offense somewhat. This is a work in progress and the offense, though improved, is still very inconsistent.
Special teams is still an area of concern for the 49ers. Their coverage teams usually give up more yardage than the 49ers are able to get on their opportunities. Mistakes such as not having the proper personnel in the game and special teams penalties have hurt the 49ers.
New special teams coach Kurt Schottenheimer has not yet gotten this area up to par.
# 7 Win On The Road
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The San Francisco 49ers have played competitive football at home. In addition to beating the Raiders, they lost a close game against the world champion Saints, when they should have won, but turned the ball over four times. Against Philadelphia, the Niners had a chance to win, but came up three points short.
The same is not true of their efforts on the road. The 49ers must play a lot better on the road.
In 2009, the 49ers only won two road contests and they are 0-3 away from Candlestick Park, thus far in 2010. In fact, in two of those three road losses, to Seattle and Kansas City, they were blown out.
The 49ers play this Sunday at the winless Carolina Panthers. The Panthers had a bye last week and will be prepared and fired up for a win against the 49ers. Carolina will view this game as a great chance to get their first victory this season.
Following the Carolina game, the 49ers play Denver. It is considered a home game, but the game will actually be played in London, England. As poorly as the Niners have played in travel games, it's unfortunate that they, in effect, lose a home game.
Travelling to Carolina, returning home for just a few days, then jetting off to England will be a tough test for this team. Because of the hole the 49ers have dug themselves, these are two crucial games for the Niners. Realistically, the 49ers must win both of these, if they hope to make a run at the playoffs.
Following the trip to London, the 49ers will have a bye. If the Niners are still in the hunt, they can control their own destiny, as they play five of their remaining eight games against division rivals.
# 6 Get The Ball To Play Makers Michael Crabtree And Vernon Davis
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The San Francisco 49ers have three real play makers on their offense. They are under utilizing two of them, Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree.
Vernon Davis was a Pro Bowl tight end in 2009, but has been finding things more difficult in 2010. Through six games, Davis has 28 catches for 348 yards and only three touchdowns. The 49ers must find a way to get Davis the ball down field where he can use his speed against linebackers and his size against defensive backs.
Wide receiver Michael Crabtree did not play in any preseason games and was noticeably out of sync with Alex Smith in the first few games. They finally seem to be getting on the same page, which is good news for the 49ers.
Crabtree had four receptions against the Raiders, including a nice 32 yard scoring play. Davis also scored a touchdown, making it two games in a row where he and Crabtree have both scored.
For the 49ers offense to roll, Frank Gore needs to have running lanes and Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree need to make plays in the passing game.
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# 5 Improved Offensive Line Play
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The core of any offense is the offensive line. The running game starts with a strong line and the passing attack relies on giving the quarterback time to throw,
The 49ers have three players playing their positions for the first time this season in the NFL. Center David Baas had played guard throughout his career. He was forced into duty at center because of the injury to last year's starter Eric Heitmann. The center is the quarterback of the line because he makes all the calls and blitz pickup instructions for his fellow line mates.
First round draft picks Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati have been thrust into starting roles, which is asking a lot out of rookies. Iupati, the left guard, has been fairly solid. He is a powerful run blocker and has been pretty good in pass blocking.
The situation at right tackle with Anthony Davis is another story. Davis has committed numerous false start penalties, especially on the road. He has also been the weak link in terms of pass protection.
Davis is simply not ready to be a full time stater in the NFL. The 49ers should spell him with Adam Snyder or Barry Sims, so the coaches can work with him for a series or two.
To make matters worse, the two starters that are in their same positions, right guard Chilo Rachal and left tackle Joe Staley have not played well. Rachal seems to have two or three lapses in every game.
Staley, who is regarded as the 49ers best offensive lineman had a terrible game against Oakland. He has been inconsistent and gets little help, as the 49ers try to protect Davis on the other side.
This unit needs to improve and avoid the penalties and breakdowns that stifle an offense. If the line gives Alex Smith time to throw, he can be effective. In addition, Frank Gore only needs a glimmer of daylight in order to gain good yardage.
# 4 Win The Turnover Battle
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Heading into the Oakland game, the 49ers were a league worst minus ten on their turnover ratio. Alex Smith led the league with nine interceptions and to compound matters, he also has 3 fumbles, losing one, which cost the Niners the game against the Eagles..
Frank Gore also has four fumbles, losing two.
Against the Raiders, the Niners had no turnovers. It's not coincidental that the 49ers won this game. In fact, the Niners are a perfect 9-0, under Mike Singletary, when they win the turnover battle.
The 49ers need to be much more diligent about ball security and proper decision making. In addition, the 49er defense needs to be more opportunistic and create more turnovers.
# 3 Eliminate The Stupid Mistakes
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A win is a win, anytime you get one, but the 49ers still made far too many mistakes that must stop occurring. The mistakes the Niners are making are often repetitive, which means the players are not paying attention to detail.
On one Raider punt, the Niners had 12 men on the field. As the 49ers lined up for a field goal, they had the opposite issue. They only had 9 men on the field and were forced to burn a time out. To have not one, but two players missing is something that you would not even expect in a high school game. That lack of focus is appalling and special teams coach Kurt Schottenheimer needs to improve this area.
The Niners had eleven penalties for a whopping 143 yards. If they do this against a decent team, they will lose. Joe Staley was flagged for two holding calls and Alex Smith was called for two intentional grounding penalties, although one flag was quite dubious.
An illegal block in the back nullified a strong kick return by Ted Ginn. In addition, the Niners were called for numerous false start penalties, which is unacceptable, especially in your home park.
Shawntae Spencer was also flagged for a 46 yard pass interference penalty, which led to the Raider's first field goal.
# 2 Alex Smith Needs To Improve
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Simply put, Alex Smith was awful in the first half against the Raiders. He repeatedly missed open receivers and the Niners trailed 6-3 at the half. The 49er fans were split between booing Smith and chanting "We Want Carr".
In the first half, the 49er offensive line did not protect Smith well and also was unable to open running lanes for Frank Gore.
The second half was another story, as Smith threw the ball much better and found open receivers. He threw two touchdown passes, one to Michael Crabtree and the other to Vernon Davis. Frank Gore also ended the game with 149 yards on 25 carries. His big 64 yard run in the 4th quarter led to the Davis TD.
It seems that Alex Smith needs to be backed into a corner before he throws caution to the wind and plays more effectively. This is the same type of frustrating up and down performance we have seen from Smith throughout the season and over his entire career.
Alex Smith must become more consistent for the 49er offense to succeed. We have never seen a consistent stretch of play out of Smith, so we really can't expect it now.
# 1 The 49ers Must Play Stellar Defense
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The key to the remainder of the season for the San Francisco 49ers is their defense. I say this because I think we already know the offense is flawed and will never be the kind of offense that can put up a lot of points on a consistent basis.
The defense has been inconsistent and often times has had trouble getting off the field. They played better against the Raiders, after the first two long Oakland drives. This may be as much due to the inept Raider offense, as much as an improving 49er defense.
Defensively, the 49ers were able to get pressure on Raider quarterback Jason Campbell and held him to 8-21 passing. The Niner defense also held down the Oakland rushing attack after the first couple of drives. The Raiders were only able to muster 179 total net yards.
This was a very positive step for the 49er defense, but they must keep it up against better competition.
The 49ers got strong contributions from their defensive line and linebackers Takeo Spikes and Patrick Willis. Rookie safety Taylor Mays also impressed.
It was also encouraging to see the defense corral two interceptions. Generating turnovers has been a weakness in 2010, so this is a positive step. If the 49ers are to have any shot at making the playoffs, the defense will need to lead the way.
The 49ers' playoff hopes are still a faint flicker. They need to continue winning in order to make up ground on their division rivals.
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