Unfortunately, the San Francisco 49ers have lost for the fifth straight week. Here’s why.
The San Francisco 49ers Week Six Takeaways
The San Francisco 49ers fell 45-16 to the Buffalo Bills, which marks their fifth straight loss. Colin Kaepernick made his first start of the season and provided a little spark to the offense, but it was not enough to start a fire under the offense.
The 49ers have shown weaknesses in many areas, but the biggest is the team’s lack of depth. Throughout the roster the 49ers lack play-makers and have little ability for rotations.
Niners Faithful will have a lot to talk about following the blowout loss to Buffalo. If anybody is struggling to find topics to discuss, here are three things to take away from Week six.
Colin Kaepernick is an Upgrade
In his return to the starting position Colin Kaepernick called 187 yards and one touchdown through the air, as well as 66 yards on the ground. Carlos Hyde, Mike Davis and Shaun Draughn carried the ball for a combined 67 yards. 49ers fans saw flashes of what used to be when Kaepernick ran the ball which included a 12-yard run to escape a safety. The veteran quarterback seemed to be a little rusty, but had a decent day overall.
With Kaepernick we saw a few passes deep downfield. The first was a shot to Wide Receiver Torrey Smith that landed a few yards ahead of Smith. Several passes from Kaepernick landed just short or just long of his intended receiver. The inconsistency at quarterback is not new for the 49ers, though.
The 49ers were able to open up the playbook a little more with Kaepernick under center. Head Coach Chip Kelly ran a few “Jet Sweeps,” read-option plays and was largely unafraid to take a shot downfield. The 49ers offense has lacked variety and creativity recently, but looked a little more like a Chip Kelly offense today.
The 49ers Defense is Bad
The Buffalo Bills enjoyed a great offensive day against the 49ers raking in 491 total yards. This marks the fourth time that the 49ers have surrendered more than 400 yards to an opposing offense.
The 49ers defense was unable to contain Bills running back LeSean McCoy, who rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns. Without linebacker NaVorro Bowman, who is out with an Achilles injury, the 49ers were weak against the rush. The unit has already allowed 1,046 rushing yards this season. In 2011, the 49ers allowed just 1,236 rushing yards all season.
DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead did look like a small bright spot on the defensive line as the duo had three total sacks and a forced fumble. The young duo continues to improve together and can be a potential staple for the future of this defense.
Rookie cornerback Rashard Robinson left the game early with a head injury. Robinson has been stellar as a rookie, and the 49ers surely missed the rookie during his absence. Robinson will be checked by team doctors in the coming week, and 49ers fans should hope he returns next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 49ers Have Serious Depth Issues
The 49ers should be seriously worried about injuries. Nick Bellore and Michael Wilhoite stepped in on defense for the missing Bowman. The two linebackers were not great. Bellore missed a handful of tackles and was simply not a threat the Bills. At wide receiver, the 49ers have no options outside of the few who currently start every game. The offensive line has two staples in Joe Staley and Trent Brown, but few great players outside of that.
The lack of options for the 49ers creates an issue for play calling and overall play making ability. The defense is unable to make rotations and give guys breaks, and the offense is just unable to be creative with the team that they have.
The roster is in shambles and has caused recent talks about the future of Trent Baalke and the 49ers organization. The lack of depth also has many fans already looking forward to next year’s draft.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will travel to visit the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium next Sunday before the 49ers take their bye.
