Kyle Shanahan Explains Why the 49ers Run D Was So Bad in Green Bay

The 49ers missed a whopping 19 tackles against the Packers.

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) runs for 18 yards during the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field. / Mark Hoffman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 49ers gave up 169 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground during their 38-10 loss to the Packers. On Monday, Kyle Shanahan was asked why the 49ers run defense was so bad in that game. Here's what Shanahan said courtesy of the 49ers p.r. department.

Q: The defense had 19 missed tackles overall. Where's the disconnect between the coaching and what they're able to do on the field?

SHANAHAN: “I wouldn’t say there's disconnect. I would say, especially in that first half, they got some guys in space and we sat in a chair a little too much versus that running back [Green Bay Packers RB Josh Jacobs]. And when you come to a jump stop on that running back, he is going to break your ankles, and he did it to a number of guys. It always helps if you can get two people there, but when we had one person there, he did as good as I've seen anyone make someone miss tackles in the way he ran. I thought we did better there in the second half. I think we ended up counting 12, so I know PFF has different numbers than we do, but it doesn't matter. Twelve is still way too many also. I thought we'd tightened it up there in the second half and tackled better and got them in some third downs and got off the field, which I thought gave us every chance to get back in the game. But that was really tough to do when we led three drives in a row with three turnovers in a row. I thought that's really what killed us.”

Q: Fred, after the game said that there were run looks that they weren't prepared for. Is it more Josh Jacobs and his ability or is it just purely not being ready for what they were dishing out?

SHANAHAN: “No, you're going to see different formations and different run looks every game. When you do see that you can't get out of your gaps. And there were a couple times that we had guys get out of the gaps. I'd say on the second play of the game, they got a long one. They caught us just in a blitz. We were doing a blitz and when you blitz and they run the ball and you can get someone out of a gap, you're going to get 15 yards like that right up to the deep safety. After that, a couple looks that they had, we had guys overrun it, they cut out our D-End and there's not a guy in the gap which leads to an explosive. We had too many of those in the first half, without a doubt. And when you give a back like that kind of space and they're getting 10 yards before contact he's usually going to make that one guy left look pretty bad and that's what we had way too many of.”

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