Coming off another tough loss to the Arizona Cardinals, the San Francisco 49ers will have their work cut out for them as they prepare for another divisional match-up with the Los Angeles Rams next weekend.
Despite Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins sitting out for the Cardinals during Sunday's NFC West showdown injured, the Niners were still outplayed and overwhelmed from the get-go.
With their Week 9 loss to the Cardinals, the 49ers now fall to 3-5 after a promising 2-0 start to their season. There's no denying that head coach Kyle Shanahan will need to make some serious adjustments if the Niners want to get back into the NFC playoff race.
Currently in a hole they may not be able to dig themselves out of this season, we now dive into two key takeaways from the 49ers' disappointing loss on Sunday.
San Francisco 49ers Week 9 Takeaways vs. Arizona Cardinals
2. The 49ers need an upgrade at quarterback
Even though Jimmy Garoppolo had a big day for the 49ers on Sunday, it still wasn't enough for them to come away with the W and hand the Cardinals their second loss of the season. Ever since their heartbreaking Super Bowl loss from a few seasons ago, Jimmy G hasn't had an easy go of it in San Francisco.
His inability to come through for his team in crunch time scenarios has proven to be very costly for the 49ers and may very well be what ends up costing them another postseason appearance.
In spite of Trey Lance showing a ton of promise, he's still not quite ready for the spotlight and may need a few more seasons to progress into their quarterback of the future. In the meantime though, Shanahan, John Lynch and the 49ers' front office should look into signing an available veteran quarterback this offseason. Or perhaps even engage in trade talks with the Texans this offseason in the hopes of acquiring Deshaun Watson.
Now the season's far from over and they've still got plenty of time to turn things around. However, things seem bleak in the Bay Area right now, and it doesn't feel like that's going to change anytime soon, especially with Garoppolo's continued struggles and Lance currently sitting out injured and not ready to take over the reigns as the starting quarterback for San Francisco.
1. San Francisco could use more depth on offense
Between a decimated backfield and an injury-riddled receiving corps, the 49ers have lost some quality depth on offense. This is quite troubling considering how deep and dynamic their offense once was, especially when taking into consideration that George Kittle and Deebo Samuel have been in and out of their line-up and haven't been fully healthy. Not to mention Eli Mitchell has had to take on a bigger rushing load.
Maybe Jimmy G hasn't been the sole issue to their offensive woes.
After all, he did post 326 passing yards to go along with two touchdowns on 28-of-40 passing attempts on the day against a depleted Cardinals team. However, they still could use an additional deep threat at full strength to elevate their passing game and keep the chains moving for them. Perhaps making a move for the recently released Odell Beckham Jr. and claiming him off waiver wires would be a possibility for them?
He could make an immediate impact for them and bolster their aerial assault. Plus this could be the first step in turning things around for their scattered offense. If the Niners are hoping to make another playoff run this season, then they should strongly consider making a few moves to shake things up and improve their offensive game plan.
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