Washington Football Team vs. 49ers Week 14 preview, score prediction
By Ian Cummings
Washington Football Team offense vs. 49ers defense
The 49ers are an interesting opponent for the Washington Football Team. They possess the same record as Washington at 5-7, but while Washington is tied for first in its division, San Francisco is in last place in the NFC West, behind the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, and Arizona Cardinals.
San Francisco’s statistics and metrics largely reflect its middle-of-the-road status, specifically its defensive performance over the course of the season. The 49ers are a middling team in many defensive areas, and they’ve been fairly inconsistent. They’ll follow up very good outings with uneven, high-scoring showings, and the team’s injury situation hasn’t done well to mitigate that.
There is one thing that is particularly notable for the Washington Football Team, when eyeing this matchup. San Francisco has the least amount of missed tackles in the NFL through twelve games, and they also allow a relatively low amount of run-after-catch yards. This means that Scott Turner’s offense, designed to generate yards after catch, may have a bit of trouble against the 49ers.
San Francisco’s pass rush isn’t as potent as Pittsburgh’s, as the team has been without both Nick Bosa and Dee Ford for most of the season. Kerry Hyder has provided a pass-rushing boost on the inside, but overall, Washington’s surprisingly competent line will have an easier task. The harder part is handling Fred Warner, who’s become one of the best linebackers in the league, and will undoubtedly try to hinder the Washington Football Team’s offense.
There’s a path to success for Washington’s offense in this game, but without Antonio Gibson, things will be a bit more challenging. J.D. McKissic will undoubtedly get more involved, but if the 49ers prove strong at clogging up lanes for short passes, Alex Smith might be better suited to test down the field, where Terry McLaurin will have a chance to win.