Turnovers doom 49ers, waste a strong effort from defense against Washington
The 49ers have a turnover problem they could not fix Sunday.
They came into the weekend having given the ball away 22 times on the season, tied for the third-worst mark in the NFL. And they gave the ball away three more times Sunday, allowing the Washington Football Team to deal them their eighth defeat of the year, 23-15, dwindling San Francisco’s already lean playoff hopes with three weeks left in this disappointing season.
“The way our defense was playing versus that offense,” said head coach Kyle Shanahan, “you have a very good chance to win, as long as you don’t just turn the ball over.”
Washington (6-7) scored two defensive touchdowns and netted a field goal after another 49ers (5-8) giveaway in the second quarter that doomed the defending NFC champs. That amounted to 17 points in a game San Francisco lost by eight. The 49ers had a chance to tie the game in the end because their defense kept them in it.
The 49ers allowed a season-low 193 yards of offense to Washington, who lost Alex Smith with a calf injury at halftime after he struggled during the first 30 minutes. Dwayne Haskins didn’t fare much better as the two signal-callers combined to complete 15 of 32 passes for 108 yards and a 42.2 passer rating.
It was an encouraging performance from the defense that bounced back after having one of its worst performances of the season last Monday night against Buffalo, when the Bills had 449 yards and 31 first downs. Washington managed just 12 first downs Sunday while the San Francisco had 21 and outgained the road team by 141 yards.
Washington won the game without scoring an offensive touchdown. It was the first time the 49ers lost without allowing an offensive touchdown since falling to the Rams, 16-13, in December 2012 in St. Louis.
“Teams are too good to when you’re giving them the ball,” left tackle Trent Williams said. “It’s impossible to win when the defense is scoring points for their offense.”
Mullens’ gaffes hinder 49ers
Two of the turnovers fell squarely on the shoulders of backup quarterback Nick Mullens, who carelessly failed to protect the ball while getting stripped by defensive lineman Daron Payne in the second quarter. Budding star defensive lineman Chase Young, the No. 2 pick in the recent draft, recovered the fumble and took it to the house with a 47-yard return.
Mullens later threw an interception to defensive back Kamren Curl while trying to find fullback Kyle Juszczyk as an outlet. Juszczyk tried extending his route by jetting up the sideline while Mullens thought he would stay in the flat. Curl made the easy grab and streaked down the sideline for the 76-yard score.
The 49ers had the first and last points of the game while allowing Washington to go on a 23-0 run during the second and third quarters.
San Francisco fell to 2-5 over it’s last seven games and has turned the ball over 18 times during that span. Mullens has thrown 10 interceptions and lost three fumbles in his nine games.
“It’s just focus on the details, working during the week and just taking care of the football,” Mullens said. “At some point, it has to be done to give this team a chance to win, and if you turn the ball over, you’re not going to win football games and that’s what it comes down to. “
Shanahan said afterwards he was planning to bring third-string quarterback C.J. Beathard in to replace Mullens after his third-quarter pick-six. Shanahan instructed Beathard to warm up, and as he did, Mullens put together the 49ers’ first scoring drive since the first quarter. The drive included a pair of third-down conversions; the team had just one conversion previously.
“We did not discuss that,” Mullens said. “But at that point, you’re worried (about) the football game. Every time you’re out there it’s a new opportunity. And that’s what you’re focused on, and just leading the offense.”
Shanahan decided to keep Mullens in the game after he found Juszczyk for a touchdown and hit Kendrick Bourne for a two-point conversion that made it a one-score game, somehow keeping the 49ers in it despite all their mistakes.
Deebo Samuel out, Brandon Aiyuk stars
One of many problems for Shanahan’s team was losing receiver Deebo Samuel after just one snap, a nine-yard run in which Samuel strained his hamstring. A similar injury cost him three games last month.
“We had to adjust to a number of things losing Deebo early,” Shanahan said. “We missed a few opportunities I thought in the first half, and when you miss those, it gets harder as you go. You don’t keep getting those again. ... Lost a pretty big element, but it’s not why we lost today.”
Samuel’s absence led to another big game from rookie Brandon Aiyuk, who continued his strong second half of the season. Aiyuk made 10 catches for 119 yards on 16 targets while no other pass catcher was targeted more than seven times.
Aiyuk over his last five games has 36 catches for 495 yards and three touchdowns. Another positive from Sunday came from cornerback Jason Verrett, who tallied his second interception of the season. The 49ers failed to capitalize because it came two plays before Young’s touchdown.
But aside from Aiyuk and Verrett, there haven’t been too many positive developments for San Francisco this season after the 49ers started among the favorites to win the Super Bowl.
Shanahan said after the game this has been his most frustrating season as a head coach.
“It’s been different,” he said. “But I think it’s been different for the league, so I’m not sitting here trying to throw a pity party. It’s been different for everybody.”
Added running back Raheem Mostert, who had 65 yards on 14 carries: “Just the whole 2020 has been tough, not only for myself but for everybody. A lot of people have had to make sacrifices. A lot of people had to do their part and step up at the same time. It’s very frustrating when you go out here — we try to do our best, but we don’t get the end result which is the W.”
This story was originally published December 14, 2020 at 7:06 AM.
