Five 49ers players to watch in must-win game vs. Cowboys
The 49ers remain mathematically alive in the NFC playoff picture.Realistically, the club heads into its Week 15 game at the Dallas Cowboys looking for a victory while also looking for answers to serve as a road map to the future.The 49ers enter the game with a 5-8 record. They currently are 11th in the NFC. With seven teams slated for playoff spots, the 49ers must win their three remaining games and hope things break their way with other contending teams.The first order or business is clawing back to the .500 mark. In order for that to happen, they must get big performances against Dallas from these players to watch:
If coach Kyle Shanahan was going to make a switch at quarterback, it would’ve happened at halftime of the Washington game ...
Or at the end or the third quarter after Nick Mullens threw a pick-six ...
Or, certainly, on Wednesday as the 49ers began preparations to face the Cowboys.
Shanahan is sticking with Mullens, which is a clear indication of what he thinks about Mullens in comparison to C.J. Beathard. But in announcing Mullens would make his seventh start of the season, Shanahan did not exactly give Mullens a resounding vote of confidence, either.
“Nick's the guy who we'll start out with and we'll see how it goes,” Shanahan said.
The 49ers should be able to run the ball effectively against Dallas, which owns the NFL’s worst run defense. The Cowboys allow 162.7 yards rushing per game with a 5.1 average yards per attempt.
Mullens must be able to use the 49ers’ threat of the running game to make plays through the air. He must see things clearly and be decisive as the 49ers’ offensive line will have neither Tom Compton nor Colton McKivitz available at right guard.
Mullens is scheduled to be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, and if he finishes the season on an up-tick he would be a clear favorite to return next season in a backup role.
Kerry Hyder Jr. is the 49ers’ top sack artist this season with 7.5. Care to guess who is No. 2?
The answer is Dion Jordan.
Long gone are the days that Jordan carried the burden of being the No. 3 overall draft pick of the Miami Dolphins in 2013.
He came to the 49ers with little expectations, and he has performed very well. In the process, he seems to have put himself in a position to re-sign and come back to the 49ers in 2021.
Jordan has three sacks. But in addition to that, he has impressed the coaching staff with his mindset, professional approach and willingness to accept any role.
Every year teams find out how important it is to build depth along the defensive line, and Jordan has proven to be a valuable role player who has played himself into a future with the organization.
With wide receiver Deebo Samuel out for the remainder of the regular season, the 49ers turn almost entirely to Brandon Aiyuk and Kendrick Bourne.
Aiyuk has been outstanding. He has 495 receiving yards in his past five games. On the season, he has 660 yards and has a chance to break Jerry Rice’s team record for receiving yards (927) for a rookie.
Aiyuk has missed two games, which makes his challenge all the more impressive. He is averaging 66.0 yards per game, while Rice averaged 57.9 yards during his rookie season in 1985.
Meanwhile, Bourne is entering his final three games before he is eligible to hit the free-agent market.
Bourne had a difficult game against Washington after taking over for Samuel, who sustained a hamstring injury on the first play of the game. Bourne had two drops, according to Pro Football Focus, and he failed to hold onto another catchable pass.
Bourne is the 49ers’ second-leading receiver this season behind Aiyuk. He has 39 receptions for 489 yards, and he’s playing for his next contract — with the 49ers or some other team.
The 49ers have so many issues to address in the offseason. General manager John Lynch’s life can be made easier if Tarvarius Moore takes a big step forward in the final three games to nail down a spot alongside Jimmie Ward in the defensive backfield.
Moore had three blown assignments resulting in big plays in Week 13 against the Buffalo Bills. He played better against Washington while facing nowhere near the same challenges from the opposition’s passing game.
Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton is not having an easy time after taking over for Dak Prescott. But Dalton did have a strong showing last week against Cincinnati.
Moore has to play sound football and take confidence from this game into the final two weeks of the season against Arizona and Seattle.
Then, the 49ers might be convinced that safety is not a position they must highlight to go find another starter in the draft or free agency.
As the season winds down and we start to look ahead to 2021, there are two offensive linemen who are seemingly assured of returning in their starting spots.
The 49ers’ top offseason priority is to re-sign left tackle Trent Williams. But the two spots that are sewn up are left guard Laken Tomlinson and right tackle Mike McGlinchey.
But it has not been a smooth ride for McGlinchey this season. He has been among the best run-blocking tackles in the league, but PFF has not graded him as favorably in pass protection.
He will face a difficult challenge on Sunday against the strength of the Cowboys’ defense.
Dallas has three legitimate edge rushers to test McGlinchey every snap of the game: Aldon Smith, Demarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory.
McGlinchey was called for a critical holding penalty against Washington edge rusher Montez Sweat that wiped out a big play that would have put the 49ers in position for a last-minute comeback. Then, he surrendered a quarterback pressure as Sweat pushed him back into Mullens as he was throwing on fourth down.
Shanahan this week expressed confidence in McGlinchey, whom the 49ers selected at No. 9 overall in 2018. The 49ers believe McGlinchey has the right mindset and approach to continue to refine his game and improve.
How McGlinchey bounces back in this game will say a lot about him.
