Cracks start to show as the San Francisco 49ers juggernaut hits skids with back-to-back defeats on the road after blistering start
- A dark night in Minnesota on Monday showed up flaws in 49ers game plan
- Brock Purdy could yet be unavailable due to a concussion picked up on Monday
- Sam Darnold is readying to step up but QB has had a chequered career
In a week-to-week league, a fortnight can seem like a lifetime. San Francisco were unbeaten and looked unstoppable two weeks ago. Now the Niners are 5-2 after back-to-back defeats on the road.
The first, against Cleveland and back-up quarterback PJ Walker, was miserable but just about explainable. The Browns were coming off a bye and have a fearsome defensive unit — and Niners’ rookie kicker Jake Moody missed a game-winning field goal attempt.
But combined with Monday night’s reverse in Minnesota, it seems cracks are emerging.
Under head coach Kyle Shanahan the 49ers are dominant in two things: rushing the ball and rushing the opposition quarterback. They did neither at US Bank Stadium, as an unpressured Kirk Cousins enjoyed one of the best nights of his career, helping the Vikings to a potentially season-changing 22-17 win.
‘We didn’t have any sacks, and when you go against a quarterback like that you have got to make him uncomfortable, and he didn’t seem too uncomfortable,’ Shanahan said.
The 49ers scarcely troubled the Vikings at US Bank Stadium on Monday and cracks are starting to emerge
Nick Bosa admitted that the NFL was always ready to ‘humble’ you, even after a blistering 5-0 start to the season
‘The NFL will humble you every step of the way,’ defensive end Nick Bosa added. ‘And getting off to a 5-0 start you kind of get that confidence that we are who we need to be, but the NFL does that.’
Linebacker Fred Warner urged: ‘I think the thing right now with us is we have got to find ways to win the grimy games, the ones where it’s not looking great and we find a way. Obviously we can win 30-10, but who are we and what are we going to do when we’re down and we have got to come back and win a game?’
San Francisco were missing left tackle Trent Williams and do-it-all receiver Deebo Samuel, and running back Christian McCaffrey returned from an oblique injury.
But the pass-happy Vikings were without superstar receiver Justin Jefferson and Cousins still managed to complete 35 of 45 passes for 378 yards.
Although the 49ers have dominated without the ball in recent seasons through the defences of Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans — both have moved on to head coaching roles — there are signs of disharmony between Shanahan and first-year defensive co-ordinator Steve Wilks. After the all-out blitz which led to Vikings receiver Jordan Addison’s game-changing 60-yard touchdown 16 seconds before half-time, Shanahan told reporters: ‘He knows he messed up on that call.’
And despite the addition of pass rusher Randy Gregory, the 49ers have only mustered 15 sacks this year — tied 18th in the NFL.
‘We’re usually a rush four kind of team. It’s a little different this year,’ Bosa explained.
Coming off a short week, the 49ers host the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night — the second of four teams they face this season coming off a bye.
And they may have to do it without their starting quarterback.
Brock Purdy suffered a helmet-to-helmet collision with Vikings linebacker Jordan Hicks on a quarterback sneak. He appeared fine following the game, but showed concussion symptoms on the flight back to San Francisco.
Although the signs are encouraging — the 23-year-old returned to practice on Thursday — if he isn’t cleared to play, Sam Darnold will make his first start for the Niners.
Shanahan’s system does not require a quarterback such as Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson. It needs an accurate pocket passer who does not deviate from the script.
Brock Purdy showed concussion signs on Monday after a head-to-head collision on Monday
Sam Darnold could make his first start for the 49ers should Purdy be unavailable under the helmet
Darnold has had a chequered career so far, but has never been in a position to succeed. The No 3 overall pick of the 2018 draft spent three unhappy years with the New York Jets.
Without serviceable receivers, Darnold’s spell was characterised by him being captured on film saying ‘I’m seeing ghosts’ while being swarmed by the Patriots in 2019. He was released in 2021 and spent another under- whelming year in Carolina, with two wins in his six starts.
But Shanahan is a fan and San Francisco came calling. The 49ers released Trey Lance in the offseason and Darnold was named backup.
‘I have as much confidence in Sam as I could have with someone that I haven’t gone into a real NFL game with,’ Shanahan said on Wednesday.
In many ways, Cincinnati are a superior version of the Vikings. They have three excellent receivers — Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd — and quarterback Joe Burrow is an upgrade on Cousins, albeit he is still recovering from a knee injury.
The Bengals are also better at running the ball. The Vikings’ Alexander Mattison has rushed for 359 yards; Cincinnati’s Joe Mixon has 366 and has played a game fewer.
And although Brian Flores is doing an admirable job as Minnesota’s defensive co-ordinator, throwing the kitchen sink at opposition quarterbacks despite a limited roster, his Bengals counterpart Lou Anarumo has a history of thwarting the likes of Mahomes and Josh Allen.
Shanahan knows the game’s significance, telling reporters on Monday: ‘We have five-and-a-half days left. Got to focus all on that, make sure we go into the bye week 6-2, not 5-3.’
Since Shanahan and general manager John Lynch began their rebuild in San Francisco in 2017, the 49ers have reached three of the last four NFC Championship games. They are more than capable of doing so again.
They average 35.7 points at home this season, second-most in the NFL (Miami top the charts with an average of 47.7).
But the season doesn’t get any easier. After the Bengals come the Jaguars — another team coming off a bye — as the 49ers face some gruelling games down the stretch: the Seahawks twice, the Eagles and the Ravens.
Everything will look a little easier with victory on Sunday evening. But the noise will be deafening if the 49ers fall to a third straight defeat.
The team will have to overturn things when they welcom the Bengals to San Francisco on Sunday evening
German double-header will be pitch perfect, insists NFL chief
After its London triple-header, the NFL moves to Frankfurt next week when there will be back-to-back games at Deutsche Bank Park.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins meet on November 5 before the New England Patriots face off against Indianapolis Colts the following Sunday.
Last season, players from the Buccaneers and Seahawks complained about the slippery grass at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena, so the NFL has installed a hybrid surface for this year’s fixtures.
Alexander Steinforth, the NFL’s general manager for Germany, said: ‘It’s definitely something we’re always re-evaluating, the US colleagues are re-evaluating, and there was the ask for this year to have another pitch.’
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