Shanahan: ‘We always talk about doing right longer, and I think today was the exact opposite’

Frustration. Annoyance might be the better word to describe the 49ers in the locker room postgame:

The 49ers' defense allowed 19 net passing yards in the first half, which was the least they’ve allowed to an opponent in since the Green Bay game back in November of 2019. Justin Fields' passer rating of 2.8 was the lowest registered by an opposing QB in any half against the Niners since Russell Wilson’s second half in October of 2012. Also, that was the lowest passer rating by an opposing quarterback in the first half against the 49ers since 1973, when passer rating became a statistic.

San Francisco lost by two possessions.

Kyle Shanahan said he felt in control in the game up until Dante Pettis’s touchdown: “That one play was a huge change. I thought we had every chance to run away with it in those first three quarters — especially those first two drives. We had a fumble inside of the ten. Then we ended up getting a sack on third down that knocked us out of field goal range.”

The sack he’s referencing was by Mike McGlinchey, who owned his mistake postgame. There wasn’t much Deebo Samuel could’ve done about the fumble. After the game, Deebo said, “he just poked it out.”

Still, we’ve gotten too accustomed to undisciplined sloppiness out of the game for Shanahan-coached teams.

There were quite a few resemblances between today’s game and the opener back in 2019, when the 49ers faced Tampa Bay and had 11 penalties. Trey Lance finished the day 13-for-28, for 164 yards. Jimmy Garoppolo was 18-for-27 for 166 yards, and had a touchdown and an interception. The difference? Tampa Bay threw three interceptions and the 49ers took two of those to the house.

Shanahan was disappointed in the third-quarter drive that only ended in a field goal, saying, “I thought we had every chance to run away with it. I thought we would get it right back again, but the penalty gave them new life, they scored a touchdown and we never got the momentum back.”

Not only did the 49ers fail to gain the momentum back, but the team also fell apart. After the penalty, the Niners punted, had an interception, and turned the ball over twice on its final four possessions of the game.

Finally, this quote stuck with me from Shanahan: “We always talk about doing right longer. And I think today was the exact opposite.” The weather didn’t help, but the play on the field spiraled out of the team’s control.

After the final play, Trent Williams walked off with his hands on his hips, looking exhausted. Sitting by his locker, staring off into space, Williams’s anger was palpable. He explained why after:

Williams added, “it’s hard enough to play against the opposing team, and it’s even harder when you’re playing against yourself.”