It can't get much worse for the San Francisco 49ers. Can it? Actually, it can. It will be worse if the 49ers lose to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. The team would fall to 3-5 and have fallen at home to a Cowboys team that can't seem to do anything right. So, yes, it can get worse.
That doesn't even mention injuries and how the 49ers seem snake-bit this season. But we're dealing with the frustration by talking out our feelings. Let's all hold hands and sing, "Kum Ba Yah."
Ok, maybe not. But never fear, a great place to work through the pain is deep within the walls of the 49ers Webzone Mail. So let's jump in and look at your great questions. Thank you for those questions, by the way. Our mailbag would be sad and empty if not for you.
I thought Sorensen called a good game, but execution was lacking; although the offense didn't do the defense any favors turning the ball over. What do you think? What do you look for when weighing play-calling vs player execution? - Tony M.
If the players are in a position to make plays but don't, then I blame the players. That was mostly the case against the Kansas City Chiefs. Although Defensive Coordinator Nick Sorensen called a good game, for the most part, the 49ers defense still had no answer for Patrick Mahomes running. And in the second half, they started struggling to stop the run again. Part of that could be the scheme, but most of it is personnel. There are still too many missed tackles.
The 49ers did a good job on Travis Kelce, although every catch he made seemed to go for a first down. But while they were handling Kelce, the Chiefs' number two tight end kept hurting them.
Perhaps the biggest issue, outside of not stopping the run, was the Chiefs' speed on offense compared to the 49ers' lack of speed on defense. Even Fred Warner doesn't look right. Outside of Deommodore Lenoir and Malik Mustapha, no one on defense (or offense) is playing with much passion or physicality.
Tom Brady even said it during the broadcast: why didn't the 49ers have more safe plays drawn up to move the ball, like simple dump-offs? It sure worked for the Chiefs - although Mahomes is basically a magician back there. - Andy G.
I was saying it, too. I'm obviously not Tom Brady, but Bill Walsh built a dynasty on dump-offs, short passes, screens, etc. It was an extension of the run game. And that is how Kyle Shanahan had built this offense. It was that way with Jimmy Garoppolo, and it was that way with Brock Purdy. But something has changed, and I'm not sure what. It doesn't look like the same offense. And I don't believe it's as simple as injuries or missing Christian McCaffrey. Those things are certainly a factor, but Shanahan's approach looks different.
I think Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo would be good in a screen game. Walsh used Roger Craig, Wendall Tyler, and Tom Rathman in those roles. Mike Shanahan did it with Ricky Watters and William Floyd. Why can't Shanahan use more screen passes and dump-offs? Missing McCaffrey shouldn't change that approach.
How much worse can it get for the 49ers? Better yet, have they hit rock bottom yet? - Ed H.
Remember 2020? It can get much worse. As I mentioned above, if they lose to the Cowboys, it will get worse. If Purdy gets injured, it'll get worse. If Warner or Nick Bosa go down, it'll get worse.
Hopefully, the 49ers have hit rock bottom and will be on their way up from here on out. But I'm not overly confident in this team right now. They very well could go on an impressive run. They have done it before and have the players to do so. But if the injuries keep piling up, it may get worse. Is there a point they decide to shut down McCaffrey and Dre Greenlaw for the season? I doubt they trade away anyone at the trade deadline. But if they lose to Dallas and then to Tampa after the bye, which is possible, they'd be 3-6 and things would look bleak, with Green Bay, Buffalo, and Detroit looming at some point.
The only positive thing is that if they beat Dallas, and Seattle loses, the 49ers are right back to being in a first-place tie.
Can we take a DEEP look into why Brock is forcing the ball so much this year? It's not like him. - Tre9er
It looks like he's pressing, trying to make something happen. In the previous two seasons, he played within the offense, trusted his teammates, and made plays. This season, he's missing some key guys, his offensive line is less consistent, and his receivers are not getting open. He's running for his life, either because of poor protection or lack of separation from receivers, and it's causing him to do things he normally doesn't do.
We've seen Purdy do this in the past when he's struggled. Last season against Baltimore, he threw a couple of interceptions and then seemed to be making decisions he normally doesn't make after that. It's almost like he failed to forget the mistakes and move on, and instead, was trying to make up for the mistakes rather than just getting back into a rhythm.
Why is this season so inconsistent and why is Purdy all of a sudden playing scared? - Marie T.
I don't think Purdy is playing scared. I just think he's not playing like himself. Part of it is the injuries, and the line and receivers, like I mentioned in my previous response. But some of it seems to be play-calling, as well. Where is the misdirection, the creativity, the play-action, those things that made this offense so good in the past? Remember when Shanahan was elite at scheming receivers open? Where is that?
And then you have games like Purdy played last Sunday, in which he made some bad decisions and missed some receivers. There were a couple of deep completions, one to George Kittle and one to Jacob Cowing, on which they would have scored if Purdy hadn't underthrown the ball.
Purdy has played very well for much of the season, in spite of all the issues. But he ran into an excellent defense on Sunday, and the 49ers made too many mistakes to overcome.
Why why why will they not get another RT? This would help a lot!!! Also, where is the speed on both sides of the ball? Watching Hardman just cruise to the outside/edges because no speed on defense. No speed on offense either, I mean ZERO. Defenders are right in the guys' back pockets. - ThereGoesThatMan
Many fans have been calling for a new right tackle for years. They need to upgrade the offensive line. Look at Detroit. One reason the Lions may be the best team in the NFC this season is because of that offensive line. They're the best group in the league.
And yes, the 49ers look slow on both sides of the ball. There could be significant changes this offseason. And there probably should be.
After what you have seen so far this season, where do you think the 49ers finish, and what changes do you foresee coming? - ShoqMax
If they can beat Dallas, and then come out of the bye week a little healthier and rested, get McCaffrey, Greenlaw, and Talanoa Hufanga back, then they have a chance to go on a run. I'm going to predict they still win the division and sneak into the playoffs, where we all know they're capable of making some noise.
Yes, I foresee big changes coming, but not during the season. I'd be surprised if anyone, including Special Teams Coordinator Brian Schneider, got fired during the season. They might add a player via trade before the deadline, but I don't see them trading anyone away. Over the weekend, Dianna Russini mentioned Deebo Samuel as a possible trade option. I simply don't believe that will happen.
The big changes will come after the season and in the 2025 off-season. Buckle up, because it may get bumpy.
When is Kyle gonna start taking accountability with his red zone play calling? I wanna know why he lacks creativity once he gets inside the 20. It's like he forgets what to do and then settles for a FG. - Daniel M.
It's strange for sure. Again, he's missing McCaffrey. But that's only part of it. There does appear to be a lack of creativity and execution. I don't know the answer, other than call better plays and stop making mistakes. They're shooting themselves in the foot over and over again. The 49ers have been sloppy this year. That has to stop or they're going nowhere.
Did it look as though Winters backed off because he thought Mahomes was going to run out of bounds, on that Mahomes' four-mile scamper near the end of the game? - Tony M.
Yes, that's exactly what it looked like. Mahomes clearly acted like he was going out of bounds. There were three defenders nearby, including Dee Winters, who let up, and Mahomes ran for several more yards. Warner also missed a tackle on Mahomes before he even got to that spot.
After the play, Brady and Kevin Burkhardt were talking like it was the pump fake that fooled Winters, but it was Mahomes acting like he was going out of bounds. It's hard to blame Winters. Defenders usually get flagged for hitting quarterbacks in that situation. That's where the 49ers miss Greenlaw. He would have hit Mahomes anyway.
I believe a lot of the 49ers' problems stem from Jake Brendel...red zone rushing he gets no push. Penalties. He is also responsible for protection and Brock always has free runners at him. Are there any mid-season solutions besides Feliciano? - Nick E.
The only one is Jon Feliciano. The problem is that offensive line coach Chris Foerster likes Jake Brendel. He's the reason the 49ers signed Brendel a few years ago. And he may be the reason Feliciano remains a backup, rather than replacing Brendel as the starter. I would replace Brendel with Feliciano, but I'm just not sure the 49ers will.
When will Kyle's seat start warming up? - Mr. Grinch
When he starts losing the team. Shanahan isn't going anywhere. The 49ers have been too successful under this regime. Fans speak glowingly about Jim Harbaugh, understandably so. But Harbaugh was no more successful than Shanahan has been, and he inherited a loaded roster. Shanahan inherited the worst roster in football.
In 2014, when things started going south for Harbaugh's team, there were rumblings that the locker room had grown tired of him. I have no idea if there was any truth to that. Harbaugh's demise came as a result of issues with the front office.
If we start hearing things like that about Shanahan, we may begin seeing his seat warm up. It would be nice to have a Super Bowl-winning coach stay for a long time though. If Shanahan can get over that hump, I think he could be here for years. Here are your 49ers head coaches and the number of years they coached the team, starting with Walsh.
Walsh: 10 seasons (three Super Bowl titles)
George Seifert: 8 seasons (two Super Bowl titles)
Steve Mariucci: 6 seasons
Dennis Erickson: 2 seasons
Mike Nolan: 4.5 seasons
Mike Singeltary: 2.5 seasons
Jim Harbaugh: 4 seasons
Jim Tomsula: 1 season
Chip Kelly: 1 season
Shanahan: 7.5 seasons (and counting)
Notice, Shanahan is close to catching Seifert in years coached. The 49ers have not had any coaches stay for more than a decade. They've gone through a lot of coaches, mainly because of bad hires. My point is that they have a history of firing a good coach (Mariucci, Harbaugh) and replacing them with multiple bad ones. Before we start calling for Shanahan's head, there needs to be a better replacement. And right now, I'm not sure who that would be.
Special teams gave up another huge return and keep having a negative impact. Do you think Shanahan will finally make some changes there? - Andy G.
I predicted earlier that I don't believe it will happen during the season. Who would replace Schneider? When he is finally let go, and I believe he will be, it will be after the season.
Other than that, the players need to play better. The coaches did a great job of being ready for the Chiefs' fake punt, and they stuffed it. But then the long kickoff return ruined it.
I hate to kick a guy when he's down, but Aiyuk has had at least two critical drops this season (when his hands actually touch the ball). Do players feel -any- regret in situations like his (deliberately missing camp while in a contract dispute, in-game performance suffering as a result)? I recall Bosa and Samuel getting off to slow starts--did they expect any regret? I understand there is a significant risk of getting injured in training camp, but in each case, the player in question got a loooooooooot of money to limp through the first half of the season. - Tony M.
It depends on the player. I don't know that there would be regret. After all, they signed a new deal that sets them up for life. But most players would likely feel bad for not playing up to their level. Especially the kind of guys the 49ers have. I'm sure some players only care about the money, but most want to win a championship, and even more importantly, want the respect of their teammates. If a player feels he let his team down, that weighs heavily on him.
But no, I doubt there's regret because the goal is to get paid as much as you can. If they had their way, they would have been paid early in the offseason. But the 49ers don't do it that way.
That's all we have for this week's edition of the 49ers Webzone Mailbag. I hope it was as therapeutic for you as it was for me.