Alex Smith returns to face the team that drafted him in Week 14's matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Football Team. It's a home game for the Niners, but it's not the Bay Area, where Smith spent his first eight NFL seasons. The 49ers will host their second "home game" at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona after local COVID-19 restrictions forced a move out of Santa Clara County.
San Francisco is coming off a disappointing 34-24 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday night. Now at 5-7, the playoffs are possible, but the odds are diminishing.
According to MyBookie, the 49ers are 3-point favorites (O/U 43) over Washington in the upcoming matchup. The team opened as a 3.5-point favorite but that dropped slightly on Wednesday. Washington is coming off an impressive 23-17 upset victory over the previously undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers.
The 49ers sit at the No. 11 spot in the NFC playoff standings. The team right behind them? The Washington Football Team, which, at 5-7, still has a shot at the NFC East crown.
Offensive tackle Trent Williams, who used to play for Washington, knows the importance of the upcoming matchup and each one after that.
"It's a long season," Williams said after Monday's loss. "We've got four games left. It's the last quarter of the year. We understand that the focus has to be heightened, that we don't really have a lot of wiggle room. We kind of control our own destiny, but we still need some guys to fall short. We only can control what we can control. Our next focus is on Washington, and we've got to get a win."
San Francisco and Washington are scheduled to kick off on Sunday at 1:25 p.m. PT (2:25 p.m. MT).