National Football League

Three things 49ers must do to reestablish themselves as Super Bowl contenders

Published Nov. 8, 2023 3:01 p.m. ET

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has turned the ball over six times during the team's three-game losing streak, including four times in the fourth quarter.

Purdy must be the problem, right?

Well, the second-year QB certainly has not been part of the solution in late-game situations. But what ails the 49ers can't be solely placed at the feet of the Iowa State product.

Over the team's tough stretch, San Francisco has not executed the team's winning blueprint: Grab an early lead by running the football, and then lean on a dominant pass rush to suffocate opponents in the second half.

After trading for pass-rusher Chase Young, the 49ers will try to get back to the winning formula following their bye week. But it will also take some self-evaluation from head coach Kyle Shanahan, recovery time for players and a reemphasis on what made San Francisco dominant through the first five games of the season.

"We didn't want to do it just to do it," general manager John Lynch told reporters when asked about the Young trade. "Independent of Chase, it's something we talked a lot about coming off the tough stretch that we're on. Everyone needs to look inward, not outward, because there's no magic pill. The answers are right here in this building."

Here are three things San Francisco must fix to get back to the team's winning ways.

Get back to running the football

Christian McCaffrey still leads the NFL in rushing yards (652) and is third in the NFL in scrimmage yards (944). However, during San Francisco's three-game losing streak, he has not been as much of a factor compared to earlier in the season.

McCaffrey has averaged just 48 yards per contest over the past four games and has two lost fumbles. As a team, San Francisco's 456 rushing yards during that stretch is No. 14 in the NFL. Shanahan acknowledged the need to get back to running the football, creating more balance in the offense and taking some pressure off Purdy to carry the team.

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Another thing that can help San Francisco on offense is the return of frontline players in left tackle Trent Williams and receiver Deebo Samuel. Williams is the team's best run blocker up front but is still nursing an ankle injury that forced him to miss the past two games.

Samuel missed two games with a sprained shoulder but is practicing this week and says he plans to play on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Having two of the team's best players back should help reignite the running game and the rest of San Francisco's offense.

Samuel finished with 365 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns during his All-Pro season two years ago. He has 95 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in six games played this year.

Cut down on chunk plays

According to Next Gen Stats, San Francisco's defense has allowed 256 yards after contact in the running game through the team's three-game losing streak, which speaks to group's inability to stuff runners at the line of scrimmage and consistently get them on the ground once they reach the second level.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Niners have 32 missed tackles during the team's losing streak, compared to an average of five game during the team's 5-0 start.

San Francisco's struggles with tackling have also spilled over to the passing game, where the 49ers are giving up 433 yards after catch during the team's losing streak according to Next Gen Stats, sixth-most in the NFL.

Shanahan told reporters he thought the defense looked tired and slow on film against the Cincinnati Bengals, so the bye week arrived at a good time, offering a break for rest and recovery.

"When that does happen, I think it leads to bigger holes," Shanahan said. "I think it leads to more mistakes. I think it leads to missed tackles. I could see on tape a different type of energy that was disappointing, but I also know that they need this rest and that showed the most."

The addition of Young, who is also a solid run defender, should help shore things up in the running game along the defensive line, and help San Francisco generate a more dangerous pass rush once the 49ers get opposing offenses into obvious passing situations more frequently.

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It's all about the ball

Turnovers remain the No. 1 predictor of game outcomes in the NFL. And the 49ers have not done a good job of taking care of the football or taking it away from the other team during the team's losing streak.

San Francico has turned it over a total of seven times and have a minus-3 turnover differential the past three games. As started earlier, Purdy is responsible for six of those giveaways.

The 49ers had just two turnovers during the team's five-game winning streak.

If the 49ers can get back to the blueprint that made them a dangerous team earlier this season, Purdy will be put in fewer high-leverage situations at the end of games and his turnovers will subside.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.