49ers Finished

The Niners have the worst offense in the league, with a struggling line, still-ineffective receivers and a totally battered quarterback and running back. They are 2-6 and, barring some devine intervention, won't even match the 7 wins they put together in 2006. Instead of heading to Seattle for an NFC West battle royale next Monday night, the 49ers will hope only to avoid another blowout like Seattle's 23-3 shutdown in San Francisco in Week 4. The 49ers trail the Seahawks (4-4) by just two games, which might give the most optimistic fan hope of still coming back to win the NFL's worst division. And though the Seahawks have their own problems, the 49ers' troubles dwarf Seattle's, and San Francisco has no chance to beat the Seahawks on Monday or overcome them in the division this season.

The 49ers will play out the string without left tackle Jonas Jennings, and right guard Justin Smiley might be out for the year as well. Meanwhile, quarterback Alex Smith probably shouldn't be playing with his injured throwing shoulder, and running back Frank Gore will face the Seahawks with a sprained ankle. This is not at all what coach Mike Nolan expected when he promoted Jim Hostler to offensive coordinator to ease the loss of Norv Turner to San Diego. Hostler was supposed to help Smith and the offense continue the progress they made last year under Turner. But Smith struggled in Hostler's ill-defined offense even before the quarterback got hurt. The line, considered the strength of the team entering the season, has been inconsistent and racked by injuries. Darrell Jackson and Ashley Lelie have not provided the 49ers with many big plays at the receiver position. And, thanks much to the line, Gore has been nothing like the runner he was in 2006.

The 49ers found ways to win their first two games, but they have since lost six in a row. One more loss would match the seven-game slide they endured in Nolan's first season, 2005, when the Niners finished 4-12. So much for the idea of taking big steps back to the playoffs, from four wins in 2005 to seven in 2006 to 10 this year. The only way they would do that is if the 49ers somehow run the table. That would require wins in Seattle, Arizona, Carolina and Cleveland, plus home victories against St. Louis, Minnesota, Cincinnati and Tampa Bay. And that's not going to happen. Neither will a 6-2 finish, which would net an 8-8 record and possibly keep the 49ers in the running the division. To do that, they would have to beat Seattle this week, and that's not going to happen.

No one would have thought it, except maybe me, but this contest against the Seahawks isn't the big game it was supposed to be because the Niners aren't who they were predicted to be.

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