San Francisco may be without a victory this season but that doesn't mean Gruden is taking his next opponent lightly and feels the 49ers have the talent needed on their roster to be dangerous.
"[49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has] got talent, that's for sure," Gruden said. "They've lost four games by three points or less, I believe, two overtime games, so they're right there. They had the Rams on their heels. They had a horrific – unlucky, I should say – offensive pass interference call that cost them, so they're right there. They have a very good running back [in Carlos Hyde]. [Brian] Hoyer's played a lot of football. They've got Pierre Garçon. They've got a heck of left tackle [in Joe Staley].
"Their defense is coming on. They have three first rounders [Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner, and Solomon Thomas] on that defensive line. [NaVorro] Bowman's still a heck of a linebacker. I don't know if Reuben Foster's going to play but he's an excellent linebacker. They have pieces to be good. They're just trying to implement a system and I think it will take some time, but they're very dangerous. That's for sure."
On Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, the 49ers lost their fourth-straight game by three-or-fewer points and their second-straight in overtime. Shanahan pointed out on Monday that the 49ers could easily be 4-1 rather than 0-5. Gruden agrees with Shanahan.
"I don't know anything about who they have there as far as personality goes," Gruden continued, "but I know that watching them on tape, they play hard to the bitter end. Like I said, four games, three points or less. They're right there against some very good football teams – Seattle, the Rams, Colts. Panthers they struggled a little bit against, but four out of five games, they easily could be 4-1. I think from a talent standpoint, they have people in place that can compete and win games."
Sunday's game is a homecoming of sorts for Shanahan. He 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.
As of Tuesday, Washington remains an 11-point favorite over the visiting 49ers, according to Yahoo! Sports. The two teams will kick off at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
* h/t to our friends over at Redskins Wire for the quotes
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