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When the Washington Redskins (2-2) kick off on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers (0-5) at FedExField, they will be coming off 12 days of rest. Washington, which is coming off of its bye week, last played on Monday, October 2 in a 29-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The 49ers are coming off of their second-straight overtime loss and their fourth-straight loss decided by three-or-fewer points. They fell 26-23 to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
Washington opened up the week as huge favorites over visiting San Francisco - by as many as 11 points and as little as nine points. The number represents the second-largest underdog status of the season by the 49ers. They were 14-point underdogs to the Seattle Seahawks leading up to Week 2. The over/under for Sunday's game is listed at 46.5 points.
Sunday will be a homecoming for 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, who was Washington's offensive coordinator from 2010 through 2013. Washington's head coach at the time was Shanahan's father, Mike. It will also be a return for 49ers wide receiver Pierre Garçon, who played in Washington from 2012 through 2016.
The 49ers do
currently hold a four-game winning streak against Washington dating back to December 28, 2008, winning twice at home and twice on the road in those games. Their last meeting resulted in a 17-13 49ers home victory during the 2014 season.
Sunday's game will be the 49ers' third consecutive road game and the last before returning to Levi's Stadium for
an October 22 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.
One of the more obvious storylines heading into the Week 6 matchup will surround quarterback Kirk Cousins, who is scheduled to become a free agent after the season and after playing under the franchise tag for the second season in a row. Since Shanahan's hiring in February, there has been massive speculation that Cousins could be a future candidate for the 49ers' quarterback job. However, such a move would be costly with the quarterback expected to command a future contract valued at as much as $30 million a year.
Through four games this season, Cousins has completed over 66-percent of his passes for 1,004 yards, seven touchdowns, and just one interception. His passer rating of 107.6 ranks ninth in the NFL and he has the
fourth-highest Pro Football Focus quarterback rating (93.1), which accounts for dropped passes, throw aways, spikes, and other factors. Just Alex Smith,
Tom Brady, and Drew Brees have better
Pro Football Focus quarterback ratings.
By comparison, 49ers quarterback Brian Hoyer's passer rating of 75.8 ranks 29th among signal callers with 50-or-more pass attempts. While he has more passing yards than Cousins (1,211), Hoyer has played in one more game than his Washington counterpart and has thrown four interceptions to go with his four touchdown passes. Hoyer's
Pro Football Focus quarterback rating (82) ranks 25th in the NFL. On Sunday against the Colts, Hoyer completed 29 of his 46 passes for 353 yards and two touchdowns.
San Francisco and Washington kick off at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Last week, it was reported that the San Francisco 49ers planned to host former Kentucky cornerback Andru Phillips on a pre-draft visit. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo confirms that the visit will take place during the upcoming week, which marks the final opportunity for such visits to occur.
Phillips will also meet with the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans this week.
Adding a noteworthy tidbit to the social media post, Garafolo mentions, "A likely second-round pick, though some evaluators have first-round grades on
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
