Washington coach Jay Gruden said it, and so did his quarterback Kirk Cousins. The opposing head coach and quarterback both said the 49ers are talented, particularly on their defensive line. The words, “talent” and “49ers” haven’t been mentioned together in a while unless the word, “lack” was placed somewhere in between.
However, as the 49ers go through the paces of the season and prepare for next year with as much as $90 million in salary cap space and a bevvy of draft picks, one has to wonder how far away they are from contending for the post season.
Also consider that the 49ers have lost the last four games by three points or less, and could it be the 49ers are better than one might think?
“I always want to improve and keep getting better, but I think we’ve got more talent than what we’ve shown so far,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said.
Even though the team is winless, they established a strong run game and recently, an impressive pass rush. According to ProFootballFocus.com, the 49ers are pressuring quarterbacks 40 percent of the time, which is fourth best in the league. And they are primarily doing it with a four-man rush.
And that’s without rookie sensation Reuben Foster and edge rusher Tank Carradine. Foster could return on Sunday, and Carradine is on injured reserve with an ankle sprain.
Whether the 49ers deem themselves talented could impact decisions in their future. For example, does the team want to shop left tackle Joe Staley for draft picks before the Oct. 31 trade deadline? Or do they feel they are talented enough to keep Staley, who is playing at a high level, for next year and beyond?
Additionally the 49ers lose by making their own mistakes, not by being beaten physically by their opponent.
“I talked about it the other day, it’s frustrating because we’re losing such close games,” quarterback Brian Hoyer said. “I know our record’s 0-5, but I don’t think we see ourselves as that type of team. We know how close we are. It’s just about going out and executing on all three phases of the ball, especially us (on offense).”
If Hoyer, or C.J. Beathard can play better, the team could see their fortunes reverse. Hoyer is 30th in completion percentage and 29th in passer rating. If that could improve, the 49ers record will likely also make a jump and the team could feel more confident standing pat at the trade deadline.
