Golden Nuggets: 0-16 Is Starting To Look Like A Possibility

If weeks two through six were representative of “moral victories”, where the silver linings lessen the sting of defeat, week eight (as well as week seven, to some extent) was simply a demoralizing loss. The offense continued to look anemic on the ground and through the air, but the defense held up relatively well through most of the first half. However, the floodgates opened during the first-half two minute drill and the Eagles aggressively took control of the game, never to be challenged again.

So, after a much ballyhooed five week stretch in which each game was lost by three or less (for the first time in NFL history), the 49ers have suffered back-to-back blowouts to playoff-bound NFC East teams. Now that we’re past the “best 0-6 team ever!” justifications, we’ve got a few issues to sort through over the coming weeks. First, this is the first team in franchise history to start 0-8. Second, we’ll be missing Solomon Thomas, Jimmie Ward, and Joe Staley for currently undetermined amounts of time with significant injuries. Third, we’ve got three possibly competitive games out of the next four (my assumption is that the Seahawks beat us at Levi’s) and then a string of virtually guaranteed losses.

Growing pains were to be expected, but 0-8 is a different kind of disappointing.

On to the good(ish) stuff-

Week 8 Recap & Analysis | Branch, SF Gate | Inman, Mercury | Brown, Mercury | Maiocco, CSN Bay Area | Lynch, KNBR | Associated Press via ESPN | Wagoner, ESPN | Biderman, Ninerswire

Week 8 Notes | Inman, Mercury | Maiocco, CSN Bay Area | Barrows, Sac Bee | Biderman, Ninerswire | Lowder, Ninerswire | Lowder (2), Ninerswire

The race to the #1 overall pick | Graziano, ESPN

For 49ers, injuries are piling up | Wagoner, ESPN

Joe Staley suffers facial injury | Branch & Killion, SF Gate | Inman, Mercury | Maiocco, CSN Bay Area | Lynch, KNBR | Barrows, Sac Bee | Biderman, Ninerswire

Jimmie Ward fractures forearm | KNBR Staff | Biderman, Ninerswire

Solomon Thomas sprains MCL | Biderman, Ninerswire

RB Matt Breida scores TD in front of family in Philly | Killion, SF Gate

Rookies making an impact in an otherwise lost season | Lynch, KNBR | Barrows, Sac Bee

Protest stuff | Mano, Mercury