Washington Football Team: Five bold predictions vs. 49ers
5. No 49ers RB totals more than 30 rushing yards against Washington
The 49ers have a solid stable of running backs when they are all healthy. At the moment, they are. Raheem Mostert, Tevin Coleman, and Jeff Wilson Jr. — the team’s top-three running backs — have dealt with injuries this year, but all have been available in recent weeks. Jerick McKinnon, who has performed well on occasion this year, has as well.
With these four players at their disposal, the 49ers will have a lot of different ways to attack the Washington defense. Early in the game, they will likely test out at least a few options and see which one is the most effective.
A clear-cut option may not emerge. Washington has been up-and-down against the run this year, but in recent weeks, they have done an excellent job containing the likes of Ezekiel Elliott and Benny Snell. That has been thanks to the performance of the team’s defensive line and, in particular, Daron Payne, who is emerging as one of the best run-stuffers in the NFL.
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As long as Payne continues to play well, Washington should be able to slow down the 49ers. Given the success they had against Snell, Coleman, who is more of a power back, probably won’t find much success. McKinnon, meanwhile, won’t see the field enough to rack up much on the ground, and will mostly be used as a receiving-based backup.
Mostert and Wilson will represent the best chances that the 49ers have to break through the Washington front, but if Washington comes ready to render San Francisco one-dimensional, neither of them will be able to do enough to move the ball consistently against the Washington defense. Could one break a longer run? Sure. But this matchup projects to be a tough one for the 49ers.
All told, the 49ers will likely rotate all of their RBs until they find an effective one. If they can’t, it’s possible that they may not have a back total more than 30 rushing yards on the day. With carries being split between those four plays, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and Nick Mullens, there simply won’t be enough opportunities for players to produce.
So, we’ll go out on a limb and say that Washington will hold each back to under 30 rushing yards on the day — even if that means the team still gives up a lot of yards in total during the game to some other rushing weapons.