2-3 49ers Look The Part in 24-23 Loss To Arizona

“Time is the enemy of the mediocre.” – Warren Buffett

Oct 6, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) carries the ball against the San Francisco 49ers during the third quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The 49ers sub-.500 record and inconsistent execution point to the same thing, this is a mediocre team. With each game the picture becomes clearer that this is a team that may struggle to make the playoffs. Good enough to beat bad teams, bad enough to give up 10-point leads in the 4th and lose. Arizona dominated a second half marred by 49er turnovers to come away with a 24-23 win.

Kyle Shanahan

He’s been outcoached in each loss in different ways. In this one, Shanahan was 1-6 in the red zone against an Arizona defense that has given up the most red zone touchdowns in the league. The Niners had a 17% red zone success rate against the Cardinals' defense that gave up a 68.8% rate coming into the game.

Clearly part of this is the loss of Christian McCaffrey. However, Shanahan is not blameless. With the ball on the Arizona 18, Shanahan went to an empty backfield pass by Brock Purdy that was tipped and picked.

One of Shanahan’s key flaws that he does not consider the negative. He does this in the draft taking players based off highlights while ignoring the negatives. He does this on the field in focusing on what play he thinks will best succeed in the moment, while ignoring the potential negatives, the yard line, and the game situation. He doesn’t shift to finishing, he doesn’t manage the game, he focuses on the play.

He refuses to adjust. The football tombstone of Kyle Shanahan.

The supporting cast

Some of the veterans on the team are a fateful year too old. Deebo Samuel isn’t producing the speed or YAC of his past. Kyle Juszczyk’s contribution is fading, he needs to give way to a proven more productive Jauan Jennings through higher use of 11 personnel. Trent Williams is not who he once was even last year, still working his way back to football shape.

The good news is Brandon Aiyuk is back, and George Kittle is fighting through injury to contribute. The bad news is a team without McCaffrey and Dre Greenlaw is struggling to score in the red zone and stop the run.

Game Balls

Brandon Aiyuk - 8 catches for 147 yards with a long of 53.

Nick Bosa – A smart read of a screen to get back for a pick that could have won the game.

Jordan Elliott/Deommodore Lenoir – A blocked kick and run for score that led to a 10-point turnaround.

Seattle Questions

The Seahawks game on Thursday night is now a must-win. Lose and the 49ers drop to 0-3 in the division and are looking at a wild card in the playoffs, if that.

Shanahan has yet to beat the top four defensive coordinators in the league for over a year going 0-5. Now he faces two back-to-back in Mike Macdonald and Steve Spagnuolo. How does Shanahan make the adjustments he has yet to make in facing these masters of simulated pressure and blitzing to get the win?

The Niners faded in the second half as the Easy Bake Oven saw temps reach 102. How does an older team struggling to get to football shape not fade in a short week with minimal rest?

The Seahawks game is winnable, but it will require the best of the Niners, and Shanahan. They have yet to demonstrate they can do that consistently against a quality team.

What if the Niners lose?

A loss in Seattle would require the Niners to win the division on record, and they haven’t shown the consistency needed to reach that level.

A loss would also add to the chorus of some wondering if Shanahan has lost the ear and heart of his team. He contributed to the Super Bowl loss and may have lost trust there that is spilling over into this season. He is also eight years in and ownership may decide there’s a need for a new voice. This would coincide with excellent coaching candidates being available this off-season led by Detroit Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson.

Whether 49ers ownership considers any of this, to be determined. However, it is safe to say that if this season goes off the rails, dealing away Shanahan becomes more of a possibility. The best way to quiet it is to start winning. Consistently.

So given that, it’s not just the team but Shanahan himself who has much on the line Thursday night in Seattle.

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