The San Francisco 49ers locker room was angry after Sunday night's 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Linebacker Fred Warner described the mood as "pissed off."
"We're upset, for sure," Warner said after the game. "The fact that we're 0-2 at home, there's got to be a sense of urgency. Guys have got to execute a lot better. I've got to look at myself in the mirror. It starts with me on defense. Everybody's got to be better. That can't happen."
That kind of attitude is exactly what Jerry Rice wants to hear from 49ers players. The Hall of Fame wide receiver joined 95.7 The Game on Monday morning, as he does each week, and said the team needs to be critical of itself to begin the process of turning things around.
"I think the thing is, you look at the film, and you be critical on yourself," Rice said on The Morning Show. "That's the most important thing. If you came out of this game, with this loss, and you think you played well, there is something wrong with your thinking. The players have got to be critical on themselves."
The 49ers fall to 2-2 and remain in last place within the division. These early losses could prove costly down the stretch as the team seeks a Super Bowl return.
"We want to get back to the Super Bowl," tight end George Kittle said, "and when you go out, and you play like that, there's not really any chance."
Despite the tight end catching 15 passes on his 15 targets for 183 yards and a score, Rice believes Kittle is probably beating himself up this morning over failing to haul in a critical two-point conversation toward the end of the game. At the same time, quarterback C.J. Beathard is probably kicking himself for tossing the pass to Kittle when it looked like there was a clear path to scramble into the end zone.
"I think it's up to the players to be critical of themselves," Rice reiterated. "… I didn't expect that to happen last night. I expected them to be 3-1, not 2-2. You can't overlook anyone. You have to respect your opponent."
Rice added that he feels Beathard, not Nick Mullens, will start against the Miami Dolphins this weekend should Jimmy Garoppolo be unable to play.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Rice below.