SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. Nothing that has happened the past two weeks has shaken that belief, and his teammates and coaches feel the same way. But theres a sense of urgency as the defending NFC champions take a two-game losing streak into Monday nights game against the Washington Redskins. The 49ers (6-4) have slipped to the sixth and final spot in the conference playoff picture, as San Francisco prepares for the seasons stretch run. Snyder will be in the middle of it Monday when he makes his first start of the season. The ninth-year veteran takes the place of injured All-Pro left guard Mike Iupati for a struggling offence that has been a big reason for the teams recent slide that followed a five-game winning streak. Its a familiar situation for Snyder, who made 69 starts at four line positions during his first stint in San Francisco from 2005-2011. Whats not so familiar for the 49ers is a losing streak that has dropped them near the edge of playoff contention. Its just the second time San Francisco has lost two games in a row since coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff arrived in 2011. But the 49ers, who were 9-1 and 7-2-1 after 10 games the past two seasons, remain confident they can get back on course for a return to the Super Bowl. "I still believe that and I know that everybody in this locker room believes that, and thats where we are right now," Snyder said Saturday. "The games become more important now. We put ourselves in this position coming down the stretch and we use it as motivation. Things didnt go the way that we planned, but we just have to keep fighting, stay on task, and thats what were doing every day." As his team prepared to leave for Washington early Saturday afternoon, Harbaugh was able to stray from his usual "one-game-at-a-time" mentality and look at the big picture. The 49ers, two-time defending NFC West champions, trail the Seattle Seahawks by 3 1/2 games in the division with six to play. One of those games is a home rematch with Seattle in two weeks. "The thing you look at is, the season plays out differently each year," Harbaugh said. "I mean, the sense of urgency is high every week. Theres plenty of opportunity ahead of us and the opportunity thats staring us right here in the face is a very good one, and thats what we focus on." Iupati suffered ligament damage in his left knee during last weeks 23-20 loss at New Orleans, ending his run of 63 consecutive starts to begin his career since the 49ers made him the 17th overall selection of the 2010 draft. San Franciscos offence had been struggling even with the first-team All-Pro in the lineup, gaining 151 total yards during a 10-9 home loss to Carolina two weeks ago and then 196 yards last week at New Orleans. In that game, 17 of San Franciscos 20 points came after turnovers by the Saints. The other three came on Phil Dawsons 29-yard field goal that followed the Saints turnover on downs in the third quarter. Dawsons kick culminated a 49-yard drive that was San Franciscos longest of the day. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been sacked nine times the past two weeks after San Franciscos line allowed just seven sacks over the previous five games. The 49ers arent expecting much drop-off with Snyder, who started 15 games at right guard in 2011 before leaving the team as a free agent. Snyder started 14 games for the Arizona Cardinals last season before returning to San Francisco. "Adams a guy we have complete and utter faith in," offensive co-ordinator Greg Roman said. "So thats really about it. Hes a very versatile guy. Plug him in and go. Dont even blink." Iupatis injury will break a string of consecutive starts for San Franciscos offensive line. All five starters along that unit earned recognition last season as either a Pro Bowl starter or Pro Bowl alternate, and all five started each of San Franciscos 19 games last season and all 10 so far this season. "Its rare to have an offensive line go through almost an entire two seasons and not have an injury," Snyder said. "They were fortunate enough to do that but now I have to step in and I dont want to have any drop-off in the level of production. I think Im capable of doing that. Theyre big shoes to fill, but its not like Im stepping into a situation that Ive never been in and theyve never been a part of." Custom Detroit Lions Jerseys . He also had some help Monday night.Hibbert scored a season-high 29 points to help Indiana beat the Utah Jazz 97-86 Monday night, ending the Pacers six-game losing streak. Kerryon Johnson Jersey . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers (5) – He had good saves on Giroux, Akeson, and Hartnell tonight. http://www.officialdetroitlionspro.com/J...ions-jersey/.ca presents a week long look at some of the teams and stories that will shape the up coming campaign. Kenny Golladay Jersey . General manager David Poile called signing Ribeiro a great opportunity to add a talented, experienced and creative centre Tuesday when he introduced the veteran at a news conference. Ribeiros contract is worth $1.05 million after being bought out of the final three years of a $22 million contract by the Coyotes recently. Calvin Johnson Jersey . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. SOCHI, Russia -- An unidentified German athlete has failed a drug test in the first announced doping case of the Sochi Olympics. The German Olympic Committee said Friday it had been notified by the IOC late Thursday that one of its athletes had tested positive on an "A" sample. The backup "B" sample will be analyzed Friday, the German committee said. The Germans did not name the athlete, the sport or the substance involved. Olympic athletes face formal doping charges if both samples are positive. Its rare for a "B" sample to contradict the original "A" finding. The International Olympic Committee would not confirm or deny the positive test, staying in line with its procedures on any doping investigations. "I wont comment on whether a process is even underway," IOC spokesman Mark Adams told The Associated Press. Any athlete found guilty of a doping violation faces disqualification and removal of results and medals. Germany has 16 medals so far in Sochi, including eight golds. Stefan Schwarzbach, the German team spokesman for cross-country and biathlon, said he wasnt allowed to comment on whether the testt involved those events or another sport.dddddddddddd "All I can say is, we have a positive A sample (somewhere on the German Olympic team)," he said. "But as long as we dont have a positive B sample, we are not allowed to talk about that." The IOC is conducting 2,453 drug tests in Sochi, a record for the Winter Games. The majority of tests are in strength and endurance sports, notably cross-country skiing and biathlon, events where the use of EPO and other blood-boosting drugs can aid stamina. The IOC also stores Olympic doping samples to allow for retesting when new methods become available. The storage period has been extended from eight to 10 years under the next World Anti-Doping Code. Arne Ljungqvist, chairman of the IOC medical commission, said last weekend that he was not surprised there had been no doping cases until then. "Its expected that people dont cheat and those who do are not here," Ljungqvist said, noting that only one positive case was recorded at the 2010 Vancouver Games. A Russian biathlete, Irina Starykh, withdrew from the Sochi Olympics because she failed a doping test before the games. 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