Kyle Shanahan’s postgame comments make the play that turned 49ers loss even more infuriating
For the entirety of the first quarter and the start of the second quarter of their Week 3 contest with the Los Angeles Rams, the San Francisco 49ers were in control. The 49ers built a 14-0 lead and appeared to have forced the Rams into a third successive punt after stopping them on third down […]
For the entirety of the first quarter and the start of the second quarter of their Week 3 contest with the Los Angeles Rams, the San Francisco 49ers were in control.
The 49ers built a 14-0 lead and appeared to have forced the Rams into a third successive punt after stopping them on third down on their own 37-yard line.
Then everything changed.
Los Angeles, severely undermanned on offense, gambled with a fake punt and saw it pay off as Ronnie Rivers picked up seven yards on 4th and 6 to keep the drive alive.
From there, the Rams drove down the field for a touchdown and had life. The 49ers were later able to re-establish a 14-point lead and led by 10 in the fourth quarter, but saw it slip away as the defense was only able to force one more punt from the Rams.
San Francisco still should have closed out the game, with more special teams errors contributing to the 49ers' failure to do so. Jake Moody missed a 55-yard field goal that would have made it a 10-point game with under three minutes remaining, and a punt from Mitch Wishnowsky was returned to midfield to help set up the Rams' game-wining kick after a potentially decisive drive from the 49ers stalled.
The turning point that gave the Rams life, however, was the fake punt, with comments from head coach Kyle Shanahan on that play making the 49ers' inability to stop it all the more infuriating.
“We were expecting a fake punt there, but we just have got to protect our edge," Shanahan told his post-game press conference.
The fact the 49ers were expecting a fake and still couldn't stop it speaks to the liability their special teams has become.
It was a huge weakness for the team last season and has cost them dear in each of the last two weeks. The 49ers had a punt blocked in the Week 2 loss to the Vikings, that error setting up a touchdown in a game Minnesota won by six. In Week 3, their special teams issues wasted an historic Brock Purdy performance and a career day from Jauan Jennings.
Asked if he'd ever seen such a stretch of poor special teams play, Shanahan replied: "In my career? Yeah, definitely.
"It was a disappointing block last week, definitely. Today that big punt, it was just the momentum in the game. That's where I thought we had a chance to run away with it, not give them any hope and that gave them a lot of hope and got them back in it.
"Obviously, would have loved to make that field goal. And on that punt return, I didn't really see it. It got to the left of our side. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but those are two, three big plays in the game."
The 49ers still clearly have an excellent offense that can carry them far, but they are being miserably let down by both the defense and the special teams, with their problems in the latter facet of the game having gone on for far too long. If they can't find a way to stem the bleeding in that area, the 49ers risk seeing a campaign in which they hope to finally get over the hump end in yet more frustration.
