49ers’ biggest problem to fix during 2026 bye week

The San Francisco 49ers are in a great position entering their Week 8 bye. San Francisco is 6-1 and has looked competitive in every game they’ve played this season. That is impressive considering the 49ers are dealing with a mountain on injuries once again. The 49ers are proving that they are more than capable of overcoming those injuries. But eventually there will be a breaking point.

San Fran has a legitimate chance to compete for a Super Bowl this season. That means they need to take advantage of every edge they have. It also means they need to fix any existing problems during the bye week to prepare themselves for the rest of the regular season.

What should be the biggest priority for the 49ers on their bye week?

San Francisco needs to spend the bye week figuring out how to fix this one huge problem. If they don’t, it could cost them a crucial game during the playoffs this winter.

The 49ers need to upgrade at kicker over Eddy Pineiro

If there’s one player who could cost San Francisco a game during the playoffs, it’s Pineiro.

The veteran kicker has not played well to start the 2026 season. Pineiro has missed multiple kicks in his first seven games, including both field goals and extra point attempts. He is 6-of-9 on field goal attempts, suffering a miss in three separate games. Meanwhile, he is also only 84% while attempting extra points.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan called out Pineiro after missing yet another extra point attempt against the Commanders on Monday Night Football.

“Yeah, he’s got to make them,” Shanahan said after the game. “He missed another one today. Fortunately, it didn’t hurt us, but everyone knows the answer to that: you’ve got to make your extra points.”

It remains unclear why San Francisco hasn’t already made a change at kicker.

Reporter Tim Kawakami warned the 49ers that they need to solve this problem before it is too late.

“If the 49ers believe Pineiro is still their best option, that’s up to them. Kicker-roulette is a scary thing. I get it,” Kawakami wrote. “But it can’t be about cap space. Cap space doesn’t make kicks. You win — or lose — them with the players you believe are right for the job.’’

San Francisco has $34.63 million in cap space right now. The 49ers may want to roll some of that cap space over into next season. Still, they have enough extra space to afford one extra kicker contract.

The sooner the 49ers start trying out new kickers, the better.

Who could the 49ers find to potentially replace Eddy Pineiro?