The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: 5 Takeaways from Week 16

“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”― George Washington

For the millionth time, Jimmy Garoppolo justified the decision to draft Trey Lance. This time, Garoppolo did it in a horrendous Thursday Night football clash against Tennessee Titans. Here are the five takeaways from the game.

Accountability is a myth. 

Garoppolo shamelessly tried to brush off any means of accountability about his below-par performance in front of the media after the game.

He commented, "Some good, some bad," when asked about his performance. True leaders always accept when they screw up. The rookie Trey Lance was courageous enough to admit his execution flaws when he could not carry the team to a win against the Arizona Cardinals.

It is unbelievable that Garoppolo, who spent time in New England, did not learn the importance of accountability under Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Garoppolo is a quarterback with a limited skill set, and his lack of accountability will not age well in another organization.

Shanahan looks confused

"I mean, two turnovers cost you, But they're not all just on him. That's on everybody out there".

Kyle Shanahan made the above comment when asked about Garoppolo's interceptions. The confusing part is why anyone has to share the blame for mistakes made by the eight-year veteran quarterback. The only explanation I could come up with was that Shanahan is pointing fingers at Titans defenders who intercepted the throws. Since the defenders can be counted as everybody out there, Shanahan's comments make perfect sense.

Shanahan is cautious not to criticize Garoppolo, but a performance like this should be scrutinized.

Do not blame the defense.

The total time of the possession was shared almost equally between the teams. Ryan Tannehill, the better quarterback by a distance, adjusted well enough to make plays while missing his starting left tackle and superstar running back Derrick Henry.

The 49ers defense held the Titans to less than their average points per game this season. Ambry Thomas struggled occasionally, but the defense kept the 49ers in the game. You cannot expect this defense to shut out a playoff-caliber team with the lack of resources in the secondary.

The special teams

Brandon Aiyuk let punts bounce deep inside 49ers territory. The team does not have a designated punt returner and keeps the tension as high as a 33,000 voltage electric line. There is no improvement in the special teams overall this season. Mitch Wishnowsky started the season with red hot form but degraded ever since. His punts gave the Titans the breathing space needed to overcome the 10 point deficit at halftime.

The team is as good as Garoppolo.

The 49ers are 8-7 with two games remaining. They struggled to beat good teams other than the LA Rams and the Bengals, who tried to lose the game. Good football teams do not let officiating or external factors determine the results. Instead, the 49ers hope that their quarterback does not turn over the football.

This team is a clone of the lackluster Chicago Bears or Washington Football Team from last season, in which both of them made it to the playoffs but as participants. In hindsight, this is a reality check this fan base needed to see how good their $27 million franchise quarterback who had no hesitations to throw a short week as an excuse for the loss.

If Garoppolo threw footballs as well as he throws around excuses at press conferences, this team might have a chance to make a deep playoff run. Unfortunately for them, excuses take precedence over performance in Santa Clara.