Perhaps the main obstacle the San Francisco 49ers face in their Week 17 game with the Washington Commanders is playing on a short week in a different timezone.

The Commanders aren't expected to provide much resistance as the 49ers look to bounce back from their Christmas Day loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Indeed, San Francisco is a 13.5-point favorite against Washington, though the Commanders may have slightly more hope of an upset following a quarterback change announced by their head coach Ron Rivera on Wednesday.

The Commanders are going from Sam Howell to veteran Jacoby Brissett, who impressed after taking over from Howell in each of Washington's last two games, defeats to the Los Angeles Rams and New York Jets.

It is still likely to be a mismatch given the talent disparity between the 49ers and Commanders, but Brissett's experience makes him a better bet to be able to handle San Francisco's fearsome pass rush. Howell has taken 60 sacks this season, the most in the NFL.

While Brissett might be able to process and get the ball out quicker, he does not possess the same mobility as Howell, which should give encouragement to a pass rush limited to two sacks of Lamar Jackson against the Ravens.

Still, the switch to Brissett is a net positive for the Commanders based on what he achieved with the Cleveland Browns last year. The 49ers will still be expected to triumph comfortably, but Washington's quarterback decision may make their task in avoiding an upset that much more difficult.

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It’ll be hard to deny him.