The San Francisco 49ers season continued its trend downward following a snowy loss to Buffalo on Sunday night. It was a game where they were simply outmatched from the start.
They got down 21-3 at halftime and simply couldn’t keep the Bills offense from plowing right through them. Sure they got Brock Purdy back, but they lost Christian McCaffrey in the first half.
Jordan Mason did as good of a job as any as he’s basically been the starter all season, but it wasn’t enough on a night where Purdy simply couldn’t pass. The 49ers are now at the bottom of the NFC West division and it’s looking less likely they get a chance to return to the Super Bowl for the second-straight season.
As a result, it’s time to start evaluating how to approach the last month and a half that remains. They’re banged up and losing McCaffrey nearly as soon as they got him back is the perfect summation of how this season has gone.
Kyle Shanahan has his work cut out for him as he looks to turn things around. Here’s who needs to be benched or even fired as the 49ers search for answers.
3) Fred Warner’s injury concern should lead to letting him rest
Kyle Shanahan should probably get Fred Warner evaluated further and see the full extent of his injury. This season is going in the wrong direction and the best linebacker in the NFL doesn’t need to force further injury or a more severe injury for a season that seems lost.
Warner has apparently been dealing with a fractured bone in his ankle this season. And while he hasn’t skipped a beat, it’s also not worth losing your best defender. Especially after McCaffrey’s injury looms over the team once again.
Even in the snow, Warner was productive making big plays in both the run and pass game as he usually does. This benching isn’t because he doesn’t add any value. This is to preserve him as the 49ers fall further out of playoff contention.
2) Nick Sorensen’s first year as defensive coordinator has been alarming
If Steve Wilks was only good enough for one season, despite leading his team to the Super Bowl then Nick Sorensen has to fall into that category as well. While the 49ers defense hasn’t been terrible, truthfully it’s not nearly as good as it was with Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans.
The 49ers gave up 35 points in a snow game. The Bills were able to run and pass all over San Francisco on Sunday night, giving up nearly 400 yards in total offense.
This season as a whole, while they’ve been good and limiting teams’ yards, they are giving up too many points. After Sunday night, they’re now averaging nearly 25 points against per game. And that’s attributed to why they’ve struggled this year.
1) Christian McCaffrey’s latest injury should end his season, even if he’s cleared to return
This season hasn’t been quite the sequel to last year’s monstrous year where McCaffrey burst into the NFL MVP conversation. Yet after dealing with bilateral Achilles tendinitis for the better part of training camp and the first eight games of the season, he was looking for a bounce-back Sunday night.
Sunday was his fourth game back after returning from his injury. Just as quickly as it looked like he was primed for a breakout, his game was cut short. At this point, there’s no need to force McCaffrey to return.
As this season isn’t going like they want, their best bet is to get healthy and move past 2024. And Jordan Mason has been exceptionally well in his backup role. He has over 800 rushing yards this season. Let him continue to grow and be the reliable second option if McCaffrey doesn’t quite reach the explosiveness he had in 2023.