{"id":259101,"date":"2025-12-16T15:00:25","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T20:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=259101"},"modified":"2025-12-16T09:34:54","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T14:34:54","slug":"49ers-biggest-areas-of-concern-as-playoffs-near","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/12\/16\/49ers-biggest-areas-of-concern-as-playoffs-near\/","title":{"rendered":"49ers Biggest Areas Of Concern As Playoffs Near"},"content":{"rendered":"

At 10\u20134 with three games remaining in the 2025 NFL regular season, the San Francisco 49ers control their playoff destiny. Nevertheless, the final stretch of the regular season will test whether this team is truly ready for January. As the playoffs near, the 49ers areas of concern \u2014 including defensive depth, a lack of takeaways and limited big-play threats \u2014 could loom large if left unaddressed.<\/p>\n

49ers Biggest Areas Of Concern As Playoffs Near<\/h2>\n

49ers Upcoming Schedule<\/h3>\n

The 49ers remain the sixth seed in the NFC playoff standings following Sunday\u2019s 37\u201324 victory over the Tennessee Titans<\/a>. That position is unlikely to change unless the Detroit Lions<\/a> or Carolina Panthers<\/a> make a late push. While San Francisco would likely need a collapse \u2014 such as losing its final three games \u2014 to significantly alter its postseason outlook, the remaining schedule still presents legitimate challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n

San Francisco closes the regular season on the road against the Indianapolis Colts<\/a> before returning home to face the Chicago Bears<\/a> and Seattle Seahawks<\/a>. All three teams remain in playoff contention and pose a greater test than a Titans team that never seriously threatened to pull the upset. Additionally, the season finale against Seattle on Jan. 4 could decide the NFC West title unless the Los Angeles Rams<\/a> clinch the division beforehand.<\/span><\/p>\n

Given what lies ahead, the 49ers must address \u2014 or scheme around \u2014 the following areas of concern.<\/span><\/p>\n

49ers Areas of Concern on Defense<\/h3>\n

While the 49ers\u2019 offense has driven much of the team\u2019s success, analysts cannot ignore the defense. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh\u2019s unit has exceeded expectations despite constant reshuffling caused by injuries, most notably season-ending losses of All-Pro leaders Nick Bosa and Fred Warner.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lack of Takeaways<\/b><\/h4>\n

San Francisco has held opponents to <\/span>20.9 points<\/span><\/a> per game this season, tied for ninth-best in the NFL. However, the underlying numbers reveal a concern. The 49ers have recorded just 16 sacks \u2014 the fewest in the league \u2014 and only 14 total takeaways (five interceptions, nine fumbles), tied for seventh-fewest. <\/span><\/p>\n

Those figures are largely a product of depleted personnel along<\/a> the defensive line and at linebacker. Without consistent pressure, quarterbacks have had time to operate, limiting opportunities for sacks and turnovers. Against playoff-caliber offenses, the inability to generate sacks and takeaways could quickly swing close playoff games in the opponent\u2019s favor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Porous Run Defense<\/b><\/h4>\n

Injuries have also taken a toll on the 49ers\u2019 ability to stop the run. Titans running back Tony Pollard rushed for 104 yards on just 14 carries in Week 14, averaging more than six yards per attempt. Over their last three games, the 49ers have allowed 5.4 yards per carry<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

That trend is concerning with a challenging group of running backs on the horizon. Colts star <\/span>Jonathan Taylor <\/span>ranks among the league\u2019s best rushers, while the Bears (D\u2019Andre Swift and Kyle <\/span>Monangai<\/span>) and Seahawks (Kenneth Walker III and Zach <\/span>Charbonnet<\/span>) feature dangerous backfield duos. San Francisco has been without linebacker Tatum Bethune, who initially replaced Warner. His potential return could help stabilize the run defense.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Ricky
Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (1) jumps to make a catch during the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

49ers Areas of Concern: Offense<\/h3>\n

While some teams strike quickly with long touchdowns, the 2025 49ers offense has thrived through efficiency rather than explosiveness. Kyle Shanahan\u2019s unit, quarterbacked by Brock Purdy and powered by Christian McCaffrey, has consistently moved the ball down the field. However, the lack of big-play production leaves little margin for error against elite defenses.<\/span><\/p>\n

McCaffrey\u2019s Impact<\/b><\/h4>\n

McCaffrey has been outstanding, compiling 922 rushing yards, 820 receiving yards and 14 total touchdowns in 14 games. Yet surprisingly, he does not own the team\u2019s longest run of the season. That distinction belongs to Purdy, whose 26-yard scramble against Tennessee stands as San Francisco\u2019s longest rush in 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n

McCaffrey has primarily operated between the tackles, churning out steady gains to help his team extend drives and control possession. He has also been a major factor in the passing game, leading the 49ers by a wide margin in receiving yards.<\/span><\/p>\n

49ers Areas of Concern: Missing a Big-Play Receiver<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The absence of Brandon Aiyuk, who has yet to return from last year’s ACL injury and appears poised to end his 49ers tenure<\/a>, has left the team without a true vertical threat. In his place, Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings have contributed in spurts while battling injuries of their own.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pearsall\u2019s 38-yard catch-and-run against the Titans marked the team\u2019s longest passing play since McCaffrey\u2019s 39-yard reception against the New York Giants in Week 9. Without an elite wide receiver like the Rams\u2019 Puka Nacua or the Seahawks\u2019 Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Purdy has leaned heavily on short and intermediate throws to Pearsall, Jennings, McCaffrey, and George Kittle. Pearsall\u2019s 96 receiving yards against the Titans were a welcome sight, and the 49ers offense would gladly benefit if he keeps playing well.<\/span><\/p>\n

If the 49ers hope to reach the Super Bowl at their home stadium, they must either fix or successfully mask these weaknesses. Otherwise, those lingering concerns could once again stand between San Francisco and a deep postseason run.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Photo Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the playoffs near, the 49ers\u2019 areas of concern include defensive depth, a lack of takeaways and limited big-play production.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5641,"featured_media":256003,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31,6431],"tags":[6254,4190,4445,32337,3191],"class_list":["post-259101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-49ers","category-nfl-teams","tag-brandon-aiyuk","tag-fred-warner","tag-nick-bosa","tag-ricky-pearsall","tag-robert-saleh"],"modified_by":"Mike Kashuba","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5641"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259101"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259101\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":259179,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259101\/revisions\/259179"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/256003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}