This weekend is the San Francisco 49ers bye week. While there are no games to look forward to, there are still aspects of the team that need to improve. The 49ers are currently 5-3, their last three games all resulting in losses. Here is a look at five things to hope to change following the 49ers bye week.
1: Get Healthy
Maybe the most important thing about the 49ers bye week is that the team has a chance to get healthy. The two key injuries this season so far have been to left tackle Trent Williams, and wide receiver Deebo Samuel. While the three losses can not only be blamed on them missing time, their being out is definitely a factor. Even quarterback Brock Purdy sustained a concussion against the Minnesota Vikings. While he was cleared to play, this week off ensures he is okay.
A key injury that did happen against the Cincinnati Bengals is that offensive lineman, Aaron Banks, currently has turf toe. He is set to miss four weeks, but the good news is the 49ers bye week means one less game for him to miss. Hopefully, for the team, any other lingering issues heal up ahead of the final stretch of the season.
San Francisco 49ers WR Deebo Samuel (19) – Michael Owens/Getty Images
2: Defense Needs to Wake Up
The 49ers went from having arguably the best defense to one that underperforms. The players are there, but the production is not. They look sluggish, and not playing how they should be. The addition of Chase Young should be a big help, but the veterans need to step up. That is not to say that no one on the defense is trying, players like Fred Warner, do continue to give it their all, but they have to play to their potential as a group. If it was fatigue in any way, the 49ers bye week should help with that.
The defensive backs also need to figure out their issues. The defensive line getting more pressure on the quarterback will help, but players such as Isaiah Oliver need to step up. They also need to stop giving up so many penalties, whether they are questionable calls or not. This is giving their opponents too much of an advantage. There are some big plays happening that shouldn’t, leading to opponents scoring.
3: Figure Out Red Zone Struggles
The 49ers offense has not been doing bad, but they aren’t scoring as much as they should be. The game against the Cleveland Browns is arguably the offense’s worst game of the season so far. The issue is their red zone struggles. Against the Minnesota Vikings, running back Christian McCaffrey fumbled the ball. Against the Bengals, Purdy threw an interception. These mistakes cannot continue. They are another big reason that the team has fallen to 5-3. In their wins, they were scoring at least 30 points. In each loss, they have scored just 17 points. This is something that needs to be fixed following the 49ers bye week.
San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy (13) – Justin K. Aller/Getty Images
4: Brock Purdy to Regroup
This element that needs to be fixed during the 49ers bye week goes hand and hand with fixing the redzone issues. In this week off, Purdy needs to regroup. He started the season strong, but in the last three games he has struggled. Against the Browns, the offense was just not there. Against the Vikings, he played well until he was hit on the head during the QB sneak. After that he was sloppy.
Against the Bengals, Purdy played well until the fourth quarter. He ended up leading the team in rushing yards and still passed for 365 yards, according to ESPN. When the team was down the pressure got to him. The interception in the red zone was a bad decision, and a costly one, by Purdy. He needs to take this bye week to regroup and relax. Then he needs to head into the final stretch of games and play how he started out the season.
5: Coaching Decisions
A large topic of conversation among 49ers fans has been regarding defensive coordinator, Steve Wilks. It is time for Wilks to take this 49ers bye week to figure out what is going wrong with the defense. Head coach, Kyle Shanahan did say that he would talk to Wilks regarding being on the field as opposed to the booth. Shanahan will not tell him to but have the conversation to see if that will be beneficial.
This is a good group of players, there is no denying that. There are too many All-Pro and Pro Bowl players on this team for them to be giving up 30 points. Wilks needs to look at what changed in the last three weeks, be a leader and fix it.
San Francisco 49ers LB Fred Warner (54) – AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez
Next 5 Games Following 49ers Bye Week
Looking ahead, following the 49ers bye week it will be the tenth week of the 2023 NFL season. The first team that San Francisco will face is the Jacksonville Jaguars, which is an away game. The Jaguars will also be coming back from their bye, making it an even playing field in terms of rest. Following that game, in week 11, the 49ers will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The next three games will be at Seattle, at Philadelphia, and then back home for another game against the Seattle Seahawks. It will be a tough stretch, and this 49ers bye week may have come at the perfect time.
