The 49ers' offensive problem is clear for all to see as they waste two-year high
By one metric, the San Francisco 49ers' offense had its best performance for two years in Sunday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. San Francisco's offense averaged 8.2 yards per play against Cincinnati, the most by that unit for almost exactly two years. The 49ers averaged 8.6 yards in Week 8 of the 2021 season, in […]
By one metric, the San Francisco 49ers' offense had its best performance for two years in Sunday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
San Francisco's offense averaged 8.2 yards per play against Cincinnati, the most by that unit for almost exactly two years. The 49ers averaged 8.6 yards in Week 8 of the 2021 season, in a road win over the Chicago Bears on Halloween.
Yet the 49ers scored only 17 points for the third successive week as they suffered a third straight defeat, and the main problem is not hard to identify.
As was the case in the Niners' Week 7 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco committed three turnovers, including one in the red zone that cost the 49ers at least three points.
Against the Vikings, the turnover inside the opposition 20 was a fumble by Christian McCaffrey on San Francisco's opening possession. On Sunday, it was the first of two interceptions by Brock Purdy, a bemusing decision on a broken play he compounded by tossing another pick on his next throw, setting the Bengals up to cash in and take a 24-10 lead.
Purdy, who later fumbled while in desperation mode, now has six second-half turnovers over the course of the 49ers' losing streak.
The 49ers committed only 17 giveaways over the course of last season, the third-fewest in the NFL, this season they already have nine to their name.
And tight end George Kittle doesn't believe there is any need to look beyond the 49ers' carelessness with the ball for a reason for the offense's struggles to score points, though he did highlight an apparent cause for the increase in turnovers in recent weeks.
"I can’t give an answer on why we’re losing besides turnovers," said Kittle. "I don’t think we’re running the ball enough and situationally. I don’t think we can run the ball because of the situation we’re putting ourselves in.
"We have an offense with explosive players all over the football field. We can win these games and we had an opportunity down there when it was 17 to 10 and we had a turnover. Turnovers really hurt you and it’s hard to win football games when you have three turnovers.
"I don’t feel like as an offense we’re running the ball a lot, very much or very well. I know that since I’ve been a 49er the outside zone has been our number one thing. We've had penalties the last three weeks, so it's hard to run the ball when it's first and twenty second and fifteen.
"It’s hard to run the ball in those situations so we rely on the pass and we have to rely on the pass. It makes it one dimensional. One of the best things we do is run the football and we just put ourselves in a situation where we can’t run the football. Whether that’s turnovers, whether that’s penalties, whether it’s getting down in the fourth quarter. We have a good talented football team, we have good coaches and we’re just not winning the game right now."
San Francisco's ground game has undoubtedly declined over the course of the last three weeks.
Christian McCaffrey's total of 54 rushing yards was his highest since Week 4, with his red-hot start to the season rapidly becoming a distant memory. The 49ers are 21st in Expected Points Added per play on the ground since Week 6, having ranked 10th in the same metric over the first five weeks.
That drop-off cannot be definitively declared as a direct contributor to Purdy's turnover woes, but it is undoubtedly a factor in placing more pressure on the 49ers' young quarterback.
With All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams missing a second successive game on Sunday, the hope will be that his return will facilitate both a running game resurgence and more time for Purdy to make better decisions. Should such expectations fail to be realized, the 49ers will likely be looking back on the 2023 season with significant regret.
49ers’ Fred Warner isn’t even thinking about Brock Purdy after loss to Bengals
He’s the least of his worries.
