Answering the NFL’s biggest questions entering Week 13: Examining the 49ers’ chances of making the playoffs

What did I tell you about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week? This is the team that’s going to win the NFC South! They were listed at +400 to win the division last week, and are now +195 over at BetMGM Sportsbook.

This past NFL Sunday was a doozy. I had fun sweating out that Chicago Bears +3.5, but the Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Commanders game was a straight-up fever dream. Not only did the Cowboys win despite being 10.5-point underdogs, but it was the second game in NFL history to feature two missed extra points and two kick return touchdowns. Is Jayden Daniels OK? Is he still dealing with some issues from that rib injury? I don’t know if we can argue that anymore. Maybe Kliff Kingsbury’s offense has been figured out. 

This week, I want to discuss if the San Francisco 49ers are dead, and the AFC sleeper that maybe we should be paying more attention to. 

1. Are the 49ers cooked?

The 49ers have now lost two straight games, and reside in last place in the NFC West at 5-6. We thought San Francisco was poised for a massive second-half run after the Week 9 bye with Christian McCaffrey back, but the 49ers haven’t looked good over their last three contests. 

It wasn’t a surprise the 49ers fell to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday with so many key contributors out. Players such as Brock Purdy, Trent Williams, Nick Bosa and of course Brandon Aiyuk were not in the lineup, while the 49ers suffered their largest loss since 2018 (28 points). The Purdy issue is definitely worrisome.

The 49ers quarterback reportedly had his shoulder “lock up on him” during practice Thursday, per Fox Sports, and it remains to be seen when he will return. It could be this week vs. the Buffalo Bills. Let me rephrase that: It BETTER be this week vs. the Bills in Buffalo. Kyle Shanahan is 9-31 when a quarterback not named Brock Purdy or Jimmy Garoppolo starts for him. 

This is the latest into a season San…


Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/answering-the-nfls-biggest-questions-entering-week-13-examining-the-49ers-chances-of-making-the-playoffs/

Author : Jordan Dajani

Publish date : 2024-11-27 14:51:00

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