Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Wednesday, November 27th, 2024
49ers could play in Buffalo during ‘significant’ lake-effect snow storm (paywall)
“Sunday’s weather pattern looks favorable for lake-effect snow on the southeast shores of Lake Erie,” Chronicle newsroom meteorologist Anthony Edwards said. “It’s too early to say whether Highmark Stadium will be snowy for the Niners at Bills game. Lake-effect snow bands are very small-scale features and weather conditions can vary from dry to blizzardlike within the span of just a few miles. Regardless of the snow, Sunday night will be cold.”
It’s possible more than 6 inches of snow will fall in the area near and south of the stadium, but the 8:20 p.m. Eastern kickoff could mean the game could be spared from a heavy downfall, Edwards said. As of Tuesday afternoon, there was a 70% chance of snow showers Sunday morning, dropping to 40% by kickoff. The weather service has warned that travel could be “very difficult to impossible” with poor visibility, deep snow cover on roads and the possibility that major roadways could close.”
The 49ers’ road to the playoffs is murky: Is Sunday a must-win?
“Why would it?” Kittle said. “We’re not where we want to be by any means. Losing by 28, it’s horrible. We don’t want to do that. … But all my optimism is not broken.
“We still have a lot of very talented players. We will get some guys back and I still have full trust in the coaching staff to put our guys in position to make plays and I’ve got no worry about that. But definitely an uphill grind and going to see what we’re made of, which I’m looking forward to.”
While optimism is part and parcel of Kittle’s job description, it’s increasingly difficult for anyone on the outside to believe that these 49ers have another finishing flourish like they’ve found in recent seasons in their back pocket.”
49ers overreactions: Is the season a wash after loss to Packers?
“The 49ers’ chances of running the table and winning the NFC West outright are bleak.
But the final six games of the season can serve a purpose by, as stated above, figuring out the pillars of the team for the future.
There still are enough quality players under contract for next season where a dramatic overhaul of the roster is not needed.
But, man, do they ever have some work ahead of them.”
49ers mailbag: Why not Josh Dobbs? What changes are looming this offseason? (paywall)
“This is how I’d characterize it: Dobbs looked rough when training camp began, missing even short, easy throws. But that’s what you should expect from newcomers at the start of training camp. You’d expect a rookie offensive lineman, for example, to get whupped in his first few one-on-one blocking matchups. If that lineman is still getting beaten handily in late August, it’s a problem. But good players improve as time goes on.
That’s what Dobbs did. To his credit, he didn’t try to be careful. He tried to be aggressive. I thought he pushed the ball down the field more than Allen and was certainly a better runner. I thought he was the better — or maybe the right description is, the more promising — quarterback by the time the preseason ended.
The 49ers, obviously, didn’t see it that way. They liked Allen’s experience in the system, which not only included a 49ers backup role in 2023 but having played in a similar offense in Los Angeles and Cincinnati. And we don’t know what happened behind closed doors: It very well could be that when Kyle Shanahan, Brian Griese, et al. examined the practice tape, they concluded that Allen simply was making better decisions than Dobbs.”
49ers game review: What’s going on with Christian McCaffrey and Fred Warner? (paywall)
“Three snaps later, Warner filled the wrong hole, slamming into the left side of Green Bay’s line, and looked to the sky and shook his head when running back Emanuel Wilson ran over right guard for a 9-yard gain.
Warner is known for instincts that come from video study, but he repeatedly guessed wrong in the first half as Green Bay rushed for 125 yards on 23 carries. On the next snap after Wilson’s 9-yard run, for example, Warner filled a hole in the middle and Wilson raced around right end for a 19-yard gain.
After the game, Warner said the 49ers were often fooled in the first two quarters because the Packers presented “run looks” the 49ers hadn’t prepared for.”