BUFFALO, N.Y. – Deebo Samuel epitomizes the state of the 49ers as they unconvincingly strut into Sunday night’s game against the touchdown-favorite Bills. A former All-Pro, he seemingly takes one step forward, two steps back, and never the needed stride across the goal line, with a dose of health concerns and drama.
“We’re 5-6 right now, and we’re better than what our record shows,” Samuel said at his locker this week. “Yeah, our backs are against the wall, but we’re one game away from still winning our division.”
The Bills (9-2) are the ones able to win their respective division Sunday by beating the injury-laden, underachieving 49ers (5-6). That would be the Bills’ fifth straight AFC East crown.
For the 49ers to win a third straight NFC West title, they’ll have to overcome their 1-3 start in divisional play and overtake three challengers: the Seattle Seahawks (6-5 overall, 2-2 division), the Arizona Cardinals (6-5, 2-1) and the Los Angeles Rams (5-6, 2-1)
“Whether you’re 5-6 or 10-0, your mindset has got to be the same,” Christian McCaffrey said. “Every day you have a new challenge and it’s one game at a time. … But you’re never out of the fight.”
Here are five ways for the 49ers to beat Buffalo and avoid their first three-game losing streak this season:
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 17: A general view as stadium workers clear snow off the field prior to a game between the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on December 17, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
1. ADJUST TO ELEMENTS
Thundersnow. Sounds like a great name for an inventive play call Kyle Shanahan devises to revive the 49ers’ offense. It also sounds like a potential sideshow to a winter storm dumping snow this weekend that’s not so novel to the Bills.
“We have some experience with it,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “We can’t control the weather. Only He can control the weather. It’s about how we respond to it.”
Shanahan said he won’t script an entirely different game plan for inclement weather, adding: “You’ve got to be ready for anything, just like you are with injuries. But we fully understand what the elements may be.”
The 49ers didn’t adjust so well as last Sunday’s conditions became slick in Green Bay. Several players lost their footing on what Christian McCaffrey described as a slippery, slow and super dense field. But unlike Lambeau Field’s grass that sent 49ers scurrying to change cleats and spikes, Buffalo offers a synthetic turf, and McCaffrey said that requires less footwear concerns.
“We live in California with great weather all the year around, so you can’t kind of prepare for something like that,” Samuel said. “You have to deal with it when you get there.”
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen follows his drive from the second tee of the Monterey Peninsula Country Club Shore Course during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament Thursday. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
2. SLOW JOSH ALLEN
Defensive end Leonard …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
