Official Game Thread - Week 17 - 49ers @ Commanders

Primus Porcus

Primus Porcus

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San Francisco 49ers @ Washington Commanders


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When: Sunday, December 31st 2023
Where: Fedex Field - Landover, MD
How to Watch: FOX
TV Distribution Match <- Link​
 
Brissett: You mean we're playing the Niners after they lost last week? Damn...this hammy be gettin' tight!
 
The offensive line was already a liability before Larsen and Wylie went down with injuries.

Right now against this defense it really doesn't matter which quarterback is starting.

Yes, the team has played better in recent games with Brissett coming off the bench but those games were considered all but over by the opponent and they kind of fell asleep on Washington.

That isn't going to happen with San Francisco, not with the 49ers trying to maintain the #1 seed in the NFC after a national TV loss to Baltimore.
 
The over/under for the game is currently 49.5 points. It looks like the oddsmakers expect Washington to get shut out.
 
I laughed when the point spread came out at 12.5.

SF will probably win this game by 20-25 points.

This was like the Thanksgiving Day game where Dallas was favored by 13 and I told people at the house to take Dallas and the points.
 
So, we could wind up with Sam under center after all. I hope Brissett is good to go by Sunday.
 
Unless you want to spare Howell the anguish, what difference does the starting quarterback mean for Washington?

Brissett is a 32 year old journeyman quarterback the club should have traded at the deadline to Minnesota, Tennessee, or the New York Jets.
 
Avoiding Injury... I view Brissette as "expendable" in comparison to Howell
 
I wonder what Danny Johnson is doing this weekend. 🤣
 
That's a pretty good indication Brissett is out. I would assume Howell starts and Fromm backs him up but who knows with Rivera making calls :rolleyes:
 
I wonder how the yoyoing impacts Howell's psyche? He's probably eager to prove himself, but it must be crazy to be starting three days after you get the vote of nonconfidence.
 
I think getting benched the past two weeks in the second half was in and of itself a shot across the bow to Sam that his play had to improve, and unfortunately it didn't. In fact his play further deteriorated.

So, his psyche has been an issue before the move to Brissett as starter for the San Francisco game.

In my opinion when a young quarterback is struggling the offensive coordinator should be his best friend and the one to put together a game plan that re-engages the basics and fundamentals of productive offense - passing on short yardage downs, running the ball enough to keep defenses honest to the degree possible, and looking to limit total attempts to a manageable level.

EB hasn't done a great job of protecting his protegee so far this season. To have a 23 year old former #5 draft pick starting and LEADING the league in attempts at the mid-point of his first season wasn't doing Sam any real favors.

I think if you were to ask a Kyle Shanahan or Sean McVay how they would have approached starting Howell with an understanding of the talent around him on the OL and at the skill positions, I doubt it would have been modelled off of what EB has done.

I have NO doubt Shanahan would have acquired a tight end in the offseason to help a young passer.

But even without ANY personnel moves, I think these coaches would have been wary having Sam throw the ball 30-35 times a game for 8-9 weeks, taking a beating and coming out of it pressing and not making the basic plays he was making regularly earlier on.

Howell in Washington is in part a victim of a ticking clock.

Unlike the Shanahans, McVays, McDaniels in the league, EB is on a one year trial as OC in DC and wanted to come in and make a statement to position himself for his next job. His approach of 'peddle to metal' offense may suit a guy like Peyton Manning coming out of college as a top pick and generational talent who was used to calling his own plays, but Howell was clearly not that polished at this point.

2023 in an ideal sense should have been about getting Howell acclimated to the NFL and on the upswing as the season unfolded, making incremental progress and NOW coming on to throw for 300 yards and bringing the team back to win late season games against the Rams or Jets and setting the groundwork for Year 2.

But there is no Year 2 for this staff working with Howell, and that has been clear for some time, so in the end Sam is the ultimate loser.
 
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