THIS SEASON MAY BE ON THE ROPES
Between injuries and schedule, SF might be in trouble
Is the 49ers’ season over? Not by a long shot.
But it is unquestionably on the brink heading into their Week 5 game with the Dolphins at Levi’s Stadium. And this moment, when we’re not yet sure which way it’s going to go, can serve as a reminder of how hard success in the NFL is to maintain.
To be successful, year over year, takes an elite organizational infrastructure, outstanding quarterback play, and — let’s face it — a ton of luck.
The Niners could well have the first element. Better quarterback play should be on the
way with the possible (necessary?) return of Jimmy Garoppolo this week.
But luck? That’s been nowhere to be found to date. At least not on the injury front.
This isn’t to say that the Niners’ disappointing 2-2 record is entirely a byproduct of bad breaks — there’s been bad play, too. But the injury bug has hit San Francisco hard, with nickel back K’Waun Williams the latest starter to go down.
Don’t sleep on the importance of Williams, either. He’s a critically important player
on a 49ers defense that’s a shell of its 2019 edition.
Perhaps Emmanuel Mosley, who is probably better suited for the inside than his normal spot as a boundary cornerback, can take on the job. Maybe Jamar Taylor, brought in for training camp reps, will have to be a key cog for longer than anyone would wisely demand. Maybe the 49ers will have to sign another free agent off the street. At the moment, it seems like half of their team was signed off the street.
Football, at least at its top levels, has always been a sport of attrition. It’s nice to think that success is determined by skill and smarts, but more often than not it’s a demonstration of depth. At this point, the Niners are so many layers deep it’s hard to know if they’re still in a position to win.
And yet win they must. Miami is no pushover — the Dolphins are scrappy and wellcoached
— but the Niners are prohibitive favorites Sunday. ( Though that was the case last week ahead of their game with the Eagles.) One could argue this is the Niners’ last nonplayoff opponent until mid-December.
The difference between 3-2 and 2- 3 feels large now, but that difference won’t be fully felt until November, when the Niners are in the middle of a relentless stretch of games against good teams.
The Niners’ new stated 2020 goal, given everything that’s gone down so far this season, should be to find a way to nine wins. Getting a third of the way there before the heavy stuff hits is critical. If the 49ers are unable to pull that off Sunday, their season won’t be over — though I’m certain some will try to make that assertion. No, it’ll just be ever more challenging.
And should the talent loss catch up to them and they fall to Miami? Well, no one is going to need a reminder this time next week of just how fleeting NFL success is.