Three 49ers Problems That Must Be Addressed
The 49ers lost to the Chiefs 44-23 in an embarrassing loss. The 49ers had a lot of poor performances by every side of the ball, but nothing was more glaring than these issues that showed up.
Week Seven was supposed to be a glorious day. The 49ers were having a team reunion of the 2012 team that got to the Super Bowl, and many former legends showed up to watch the team take on the Kansas City Chiefs in a 2019 Super Bowl rematch. Even Jim Harbaugh returned to the 49ers for the first time since he was fired in 2014 to celebrate.
The 49ers found themselves having a chance to redeem themselves after a tough Week Six loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Earlier in the week, the 49ers acquired superstar running back Christian McCaffrey from the Panthers in what seemed to be the turning point of the season. However, even with all the glitz and glamour, the 49ers turned in an absolute dud of a performance in the second half when they were outscored 30-10.
Happiness and excitement turned to sadness and despair as the 49ers dropped to 3-4 on the season. What were the issues that came up? Can they be fixed? Are the same issues showing up week in and week out?
Let’s discuss.
49ers: Total Lack of Defense
The 49ers’ defense was putrid. The chiefs moved down the field with ease and without any sort of resistance. After the interception by Talanoa Hufanga, the Chiefs did this.
.@TalanoaHufanga lays out for the INT! 📺: #KCvsSF on FOX 📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/USkaudAkBK pic.twitter.com/ftMWEaICLc — NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2022
Touchdown, touchdown, missed field goal, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, and finally a punt once Patrick Mahomes sat for the final possession before the kneel downs.
Total embarrassment. There were way too many miscommunications in the secondary, and the most troubling part was the disappearance of the vaunted pass rush. Mahomes was sacked once on Sunday by Nick Bosa (who recorded his seventh sack of the season in six games).
However, Nick Bosa, outside of the sack in the fourth quarter, was pretty much a non-factor. It looked to be that Bosa was still hampered by his injury that caused him to miss Week Six against the Atlanta Falcons. For the 49ers to be successful, they need the pass rush to lead the way, and on Sunday, it was not successful.
Another issue was the red zone. The Chiefs scored every time they made it and with ease as well. Mecole Hardman scored three touchdowns and did not get touched on the plays. They ran three jet sweeps/touch passes to him, and the defense had no answer to stop it once the Chiefs got to the outside.
THREE for MECOLE. @MecoleHardman4 📺: #KCvsSF on FOX 📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/USkaudAkBK pic.twitter.com/kHbI4c3Sl2 — NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2022
The third-down defense was awful. Jerick McKinnon converted a third and 20 on a screen pass, and Marquez Valdez-Scantling beat Mooney Ward on a deep conversion on a third and 11 when the 49ers needed a stop to get the ball back and try to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter.
Give it to Jerick McKinnon on 3rd & 20. 📺: #KCvsSF on FOX 📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/USkaudAkBK pic.twitter.com/519UnO1KzK — NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2022
49ers In Offensive Territory
The 49ers were able to move the ball well in Week Seven. However, when the 49ers got past the opponent’s 35, the offense bogged down. Penalties, a lack of execution and a bone-crushing interception thrown by Jimmy Garoppolo were the main factors in how the 49ers were not able to score more points in the game.
.@Chiefs INT at the goal line! 📺: #KCvsSF on FOX 📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/USkaudAkBK pic.twitter.com/gg0OK2srdC — NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2022
The interception by Garoppolo was terrible. Instead of throwing it out of bounds, he chucked it up into a crowded area that was destined to fail. On the play, Jeff Wilson Jr was wide open to the right side on the “texas” route. However, Jimmy predetermined where he was going to go with the pass, and the pass rush did not help matters either.
Against the good offensive teams in the league, especially against Patrick Mahomes, the 49ers need to score touchdowns. Field goals are good, but against the upper echelon teams, you need to score seven.
Especially if your defense is struggling to get any sort of stop.
49ers And The Continued Special Teams Struggles
The 49ers special teams had an uneven day on Sunday against the chiefs. They forced a turnover on a pint inside the red zone on a knuckler from Mitch Wishnowksy. Robbie Gould was 3-for-3 on field goals and looked to be healthy while kicking. However, some major issues still need to be addressed.
In the second quarter, the 49ers lined up to kick a field goal to go up 16-14. As they were lined up, the Chiefs shifted the line quickly causing tackle Jaylon Moore to move and kick the 49ers out of field goal range to force a punt. The 49ers did recover a fumble on the punt but didn’t score out of the extra possession.
That's an atrocious penalty on Jaylon Moore. It costs the 49ers points — David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) October 23, 2022
Special teams struggled in kick coverage against Kansas City. To start the second half, the 49ers kicked off short. The returner was first going to the right side, but saw a gaping hole to his left and bounced it outside, for a massive gain of 48 yards. To add insult to injury, Jauan Jennings was penalized for a late hit out of bounds that added an extra 15 yards to the end of the play. The return and the extra gifted field positioning allowed the chiefs to score a touchdown in 3 plays on 38 yards to give them a 21-13 lead.
The kickoff returns did not go well on Sunday as well. Gains of 17, 12, and 22 yards were all the 49ers could muster on the day. Then in the early fourth quarter, a holding penalty ended a promising return that put the offense at the five-yard line and led to a safety on a sack of Garoppolo in the end zone.
The lack of blocking, good coverage, and ill-timed penalties from the return game hurt the whole team. The special teams were an issue last year. Although there have been improvements this season, there needs to be more accountability and better play from the third phase of the ball.
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