Should the 49ers Play For A Better Draft Pick?

The 2014-2015 season has been one big disaster for the San Francisco 49ers. The team is already out of the playoffs, and a number of the projected starters to start the season are already on IR. So should the 49ers just pack it up for next year and aim for a higher draft pick?

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“Tanking” is sort of a shameful strategy. Tanking is intentionally losing games for better draft picks the next year. No team would ever admit to tanking, and most would deny ever doing. Some people accuse the 2011 colts of tanking in order to select Andrew Luck with their first pick.

Since the 49ers are already out of the playoffs and have nothing left to play for, should they “lose” their week 17 match-up against the Arizona Cardinals? After all it would help them next year with a higher pick.

Logically, it makes sense. If we lived in a perfect logical world, it would probably be the right choice. However, we live in a flawed world, that accounts for things such as pride.

Some people underestimate the pride that football teams uphold. Losing on Sunday might help the 49ers in the draft order, but not much else.

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As the oft-quoted Herm Edwards once famously said: “you play to win the game.”

Regardless of what your record is, regardless if you have nothing to play for, you play to win. The 49ers understand this. The team might be defeated in the standings, but after losing four games in a row, they are tired of being ridiculed and doubted. These are men that want to end the season strong and show the world that they can still play like a top team in this league.

After playing three games with what seemed like a minuscule amount of heart and intensity, the 49ers played what might have been their toughest football last Saturday against the San Diego Chargers. They were unable to hold on at the end, but the team still played with heart the entire game.

That is how they should play on Sunday. It’s the last game of the season, the last game they will play until next year, and for some, the last game they will ever play as a 49er or at all. Expect the 49ers to come out and play with toughness because after all, if your season is over, might as well spoil someone else’s as well.