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For the first time in three years, the San Francisco 49ers are in danger of missing the playoffs.
Kyle Shanahan's team is now on a three-game losing streak, two games out of first place with only five games left to play, and are on pace to be one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL, right up there with ex-DC Robert Saleh's former team, the New York Jets.
But what happened? How did the 49ers crash and burn so spectacularly when it felt like they were on every pre-season Super Bowl contenders list? Well, in the opinion of former NFL quarterback and ESPN personality Robert Griffin III, the answer is actually three-pronged, with the confluence of events coming together to destroy the team's contender status before fans' eyes.
“1) Brandon Aiyuk’s offseason negotiations threw off the chemistry of the team,” RGIII wrote. “Not because he was at fault for getting his money, but because the organization let it drag out all offseason and into training camp. His injury, CMC and Trent Williams being out has hurt the multiplicity that has made the 49ers so dangerous with Kyle Shanahan at the helm. Having the ability to run their entire offense from 5 different personnel groupings with the same skill guys on the field who can all play WR, RB, FB, TE, and slot receiver was a weapon no other team could replicate. They no longer have that capability.”
From there, RGII turned the blame to ball control, as the offense simply isn't operating as it should be because of execution issues.
“2) The 49ers aren’t protecting the ball AT ALL. 27th in giveaways and 20th in turnover margin,” RGIII noted. “Kyle’s offense is more predicated on ball control than most other systems. When you turn the ball over in any offense it’s detrimental, but in Kyle’s system it’s diabolical because his mindset and play calling is not built to come from behind. Hence his infamous 0-30 record when down 8+ points going into the 4th quarter as Head Coach that was broken just this January.”
Does Griffin have a point? Well, yes, he actually has one more, and it's the most important of his diagnosis of the 49ers' downfall.
RGIII believes the 49ers' defense has regressed along with the offense
Turning his attention to the defensive side of the ball, RGIII noted that the 49ers have taken a serious step back there, too, with their inability to stop opposing teams highlighting their diminished offensive product even more.
“3) What has always been the saving grace for the 49ers isn’t the Avengers on offense, but the strength of its defense. This year the defense isn’t playing inspired football. All over the tape you see lack of effort and bad body language. It’s why they are the 25th ranked defense and 19th against the run. Protecting the football and playing great defense is a winning recipe for any team. The 49ers were doing that with the Avengers on offense which is why they were so dominant,” RGIII declared.
“Now the Avengers have been broken up due to injuries this year, the 49ers aren’t protecting the ball which has aided in making their defense more vulnerable and the 49ers are in a tough spot on what to do next. They have to finish this year strong without CMC and Aiyuk, figure out how much to pay Brock Purdy and still be able to build another set of Avengers around him and they have to rebuild their identity on the defensive side of the ball with play calling and personnel. This is why you don’t let the Aiyuk negotiations linger in the offseason. You get the business done early so the full focus of the team is on the season and not on distractions regardless of who was at fault for the extended negotiations. The 49ers were distracted all offseason and now they are paying for those negative vibes during the year.”
So, if RGIII's assertion is spot on, if the 49ers' chemistry is off, they are losing the turnover battle, and they have lost a step on both sides of the ball due to injuries, roster turnover, and coordinator changes, is there any hope in 2024? No, probably not. With Christian McCaffrey now expected to miss most, if not all of the remaining games this year, and the schedule not on their side, San Francisco may have to make some tough calls this offseason or risk taking another step back with a diminished roster.
