San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk can't wait to get back to California and put this ugly Week 1 road loss to the Chicago Bears behind him. His teammates probably feel the same way. Most expected the Niners to coast their way to a 1-0 start on the 2022 season. Instead, the Bears pulled off the upset, and the 49ers must search for answers.
San Francisco couldn't hold onto their 10-point lead at rain-soaked Soldier Field. The team committed 12 penalties for 99 yards and turned the ball over twice—a recipe for disaster.
"Football is a finicky thing," Juszczyk said in the visitor locker room after the 19-10 defeat. "The whole thing I was saying on the sideline to everybody ... yes, it was 10-0. I felt like we had that game in complete control. But when you don't score points, none of it matters. It really does take one play for a team to get back into a game, whatever side you're on.
"So, we've just got to do a better job of that, of really capitalizing on opportunities, and scoring as many points as we can."
While the game was a shock to those who expected the 49ers to overwhelm the Bears, it wasn't a shock to Mike McGlinchey because of all the sloppy mistakes.
"It's not shocking with what we did," McGlinchey said. "We made too many mistakes. First and foremost, with me in the first half. I gave up a stupid sack, knocked us out of field-goal range, and that's points right there. [We] fumbled inside the 10. That's tough. Fumbled snap inside the 10, penalties everywhere. We can't do those things.
"When you let another NFL team hang around for that long when we were in complete control, they find ways to make things happen, and they did. All credit to them. They took the most of their opportunities, and they played well, but this one hurts a little more because of the fact that we feel as though we kind of beat ourselves up on this one."
McGlinchey wasn't sure why the team couldn't keep the penalties under control. While the conditions were harsh, and many felt the game was called very strictly by the officials, the offensive lineman feels the 49ers need to be more disciplined.
"We just made too many mistakes," McGlinchey added. "You just keep your hands inside. Too many holding calls, all that stuff. There's no real explanation for penalties other than not using your right technique, and unfortunately, being a split second late on a decision you make."
How do the 49ers feel quarterback Trey Lance handle the adversity?
"I thought he handled adversity fantastic," Juszczyk responded. "He was great in the huddle, was so good at communicating, encouraging guys. He just had a good presence about him."