49ers 17 - Bills 34: Not running the table.
Josh Allen eviscerates the Robert Saleh defense as the 49ers path to the playoffs begins to evaporate.
(Glendale) - Well that was… expected. Really, what did we expect. The Bills came into this game as the 3rd highest scoring offense over the past 3 weeks, and well, they continued that.
The 49ers could not get to Allen for most of the game, with a severe lack of pass rush. Arik Armstead was once again non-existent, as Dion Jordan now has more sacks on the season than him, and while Armstead was fine in the run-game, it’s simply not enough for a guy getting paid that much. Javon Kinlaw looked nice but struggled to finish his reps, and Kentavius Street once again had a terrible penalty which changed the game for the 49ers, bailing the Bills out of a 3rd and 16 and resulting eventually, in a momentum changing score.
This season is not over for the 49ers, but they essentially have to win every remaining game to stand a shot at the playoffs. With how Washington looked today, defeating the undefeated Steelers, our old friend Alex Smith along with a terror of a DL will cause problems on Sunday.
The Pros: Nick Mullens looked pretty good. He was not good enough to win this game, especially with the defense hemorrhaging points against Allen. One of his two interceptions was a bad decision as he threw across his body to Tre White - never a good idea, but the other was a flat-out drop by Brandon Aiyuk, and a costly one. Still, Mullens was clearly in a rhythm as the game progressed, and it’s certainly a positive for next week and beyond, at least the pre-Jimmy G return future. 26/39 for 300+ yards, 3 scores, and 2 picks is not bad. Those picks are costly, but they were not the reason the 49ers lost. Mullens threw a couple beautiful balls deep and a couple of great throws on the run - but also threw multiple near interceptions and misses. He seems to be settling but it was too little, and too late.
The main reason the 49ers lost was the defense, and this game was not on Robert Saleh. With Dontae Johnson starting in the slot, the 49ers got burned by Cole Beasley all game, and were forced to put Tarvarius Moore in the slot mid-game, which did not work either. Ward did not look as he did last week either, and Sherman had his worst game of the season, with a big mental lapse leading to a TD and a costly penalty which robbed Fred Warner of a crucial interception.
It's hard to make adjustments when Jason Verrett is getting burned by Diggs - there’s simply not much you can do against teams built this well-rounded, and especially without any semblance of a pass rush, with the only sack coming from Dion Jordan. The 49ers were only able to touch Allen behind the line of scrimmage just three times - a brutal statistic. The Buffalo OL was not good, but Armstead and Kinlaw could not take advantage of a bad interior OL. And the 49ers paid dearly.
The path to the playoffs was already slim. This loss makes it about as thin as possible. The 49ers have to both hope that Minnesota and Arizona lose enough games, and that they win every remaining game, including two extremely crucial games against Arizona and Seattle. Even if Garoppolo and Kittle return in time for Week 16, which looks likely, if the 49ers lose to Dallas or Washington, the season is all but over. Mullens playing somewhat well today is a big deal because if that carries over to next game, the 49ers can still push. Otherwise, it seems this team is destined for a 7-9, 8-8 type season. Which is not bad. But it hurts in the grand scheme of things.
Raheem Mostert did not look right today, and Jeff Wilson was good. The decision to rush Coleman multiple crucial plays in which he proceeded to get absolutely stonewalled is baffling, especially with McKinnon available, who has outplayed Coleman in every way this season.
DJ Jones injured his ankle and his status is unknown - this feels like the 4th time Jones has gone down this season.
Tom Compton is also getting evaluated for a head injury, he had a concussion last week - that’s not good, but perhaps we see more Colton McKivitz.
Another rookie played well today - Charlie Woerner had his first two catches in his 49ers career that went for 33 yards. He looked good, fighting for extra yards. With Dwelley also playing well, the TE room looks good. Would look better with the best TE in the league back in the fold, but for now, Reed, who caught a late TD on a nice rollout dime from Mullens, will have to suffice.
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I wish we had Jimmy back. I don't know how to get him playing like last year, but I think that should be the main priority. How do we get the QB that we already have, who has proven he can play well, to do that consistently?
I understand you play football games to win, but it is a terrible season, from a lot of point of view. I would look more at the next QB class in the draft, and it is a weird season for the bottom standing too. A 5-11 could leads to a top 5 spot, maybe not the worse in the grand scheme of things. I know, a team play to win, but my hope is a future healty elite QB, even if every lost is always painful.