No NFL team has been as disappointing this season, relative to preseason expectations, than the San Francisco 49ers. A heart-breaking loss to the defending Super Bowl champions on Monday Night Football has been surrounded by two brutal road losses, the firing of offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye, and a great deal of angst.
NFL Predictions For The Winless Teams: San Francisco 49ers
Set aside the fact that the coaching staff is clashing with the players, that head coach Mike Singletary is calling spur-of-the-moment full-team meetings and firing coordinators, and that the team is clearly pressing to live up to rather lofty preseason expectations. The real surprise here is how poorly a supposedly strong defense has been playing, as a fairly talented unit has surrendered 26 points per game in losses to Seattle, New Orleans and Kansas City. It hasn't helped that quarterback Alex Smith continues to make plays for the opposing team, and that the offense hasn't been able to capitalize on all of the defensive attention Frank Gore is attracting. This team, believe it or not, still has an excellent chance to compete for a division crown, but after a likely 0-4 start and amidst a lot of turmoil, that's a tough climb to make.
Winnable Games: Week 6 vs OAK, Week 7 at CAR, Week 10 vs STL, Week 11 vs TB, Week 12 at ARI, Week 14 vs SEA, Week 16 at STL, Week 17 vs ARI
Tough Stretch: A looming back-to-back against Atlanta and Philadelphia is the only instance in which the 49ers play consecutive excellent opponents for the remainder of the season. They’ll travel to Green Bay and San Diego, but there are a lot of opportunities out there for the Niners to string together some wins.
Prediction: They’ll continue to benefit from a weak schedule, and there is more than enough talent on both sides of the ball for this team to rebound from its 0-3 start and win the NFC West. It won’t be easy with Singletary’s presence elevating stress levels. This team needs to play with a “nothing to lose” mentality; if they do, they’ll make the playoffs.
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