San Francisco 49ers followers and front-office observers wakened Monday asking the identical blunt query: Do the 49ers have to make a commerce? After Sunday’s 26-15 loss in Houston, the quick reply feels apparent, in keeping with David Lombardi of the San Francisco Commonplace.
C.J. Stroud ripped the 49ers for 318 yards and two touchdowns, finishing 30 of 39 passes because the Houston Texans turned what ought to have been a manageable matchup right into a passing clinic. The Texans did that with out Nico Collins and Christian Kirk, which makes the efficiency much more evident for San Francisco.
San Francisco managed a late push, Mac Jones threw for 193 yards and two TDs, however the 49ers’ protection couldn’t generate warmth on the quarterback. Houston completed with 475 yards of whole offense, and the move rush barely registered, which is alarming for a staff nonetheless constructed round stress up entrance. That lack of constant stress allowed Stroud to choose aside zone and man coverages alike.
That is the place the commerce dialog stops being theoretical. The 49ers rank close to the underside in sack and stress metrics these days, and Sunday’s sport uncovered how fragile the unit appears when accidents stack up. The staff misplaced defensive contributors within the matchup and noticed children thrust into heavy reps. Edge rushers are the extra plug-and-play items in midseason offers, and historical past exhibits San Francisco can plug a spot successfully when it finds the fitting goal.
Normal supervisor John Lynch should determine whether or not to purchase now or belief inside growth. The locker room has proven struggle. This staff was aggressive deep into the fourth quarter, however momentum and confidence can evaporate quick. Buying and selling for a disruptive move rusher would price picks or gamers, and it’d imply overpaying. Nonetheless, if the aim is to guard a playoff window, paying a premium for confirmed stress may very well be essential.
There’s additionally a timing ingredient for the reason that commerce deadline looms, and alternatives for influence additions skinny shortly. Kyle Shanahan’s protection must keep away from a slide that might stunt the expansion of its younger core. Whether or not Lynch acts with urgency or persistence, Sunday’s loss has followers demanding that the 49ers’ entrance workplace at the very least discover aggressive choices to revive a move rush that, proper now, appears dangerously skinny.