At this point in the season, only three teams remain winless through Week 5: The Cleveland Browns, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. Although the 49ers’ fan base is hungry for a win, Ian Rapoport told Murph & Mac Monday morning that losing now is best if it means winning in the future.
“I don’t think the 49ers have played bad in almost any of their games, but they’ve lost all of them and each loss is better and better,” Rapoport said. “Each loss is better for the future because if you’re going to suck, you might as well really, really suck and get a great draft pick. It’s not just the first rounder, which is nice if you get the first or second pick, but it’s also the first pick in every round. I mean, it’s a huge win obviously.”
The 49ers came close to beating the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, but they were unable to score after Ray Ray Armstrong’s clutch interception in the opposing end zone and lost 26-23.
Nonetheless, aside from their 23-3 blowout defeat against the Carolina Panthers Week 1, the 49ers are playing tougher football than their 0-5 record indicates. Over their last four games, the 49ers have lost by a combined 11 points, including back-to-back overtime losses, mostly on the strength of their defense, which nearly carried them to a huge upset victory in Seattle Week 2.
After struggling heavily in all but the Rams game through four weeks, Brian Hoyer is showing signs of an offensive turnaround since. On top of a pair of touchdowns, Hoyer put up a season-high 353 yards against the Colts without an interception.
To listen to the full interview check out the podcast below, and skip to 8:58 for Rapoport on the 49ers.