MINNEAPOLIS – A discouraged Brock Purdy stepped off the media dais when he obtained a pat on the again from a sharply dressed man in a black vest and white collared shirt.
Purdy did a double take. “Whoa, whoa, I didn’t know that was you,” Purdy mentioned to Fred Warner, the 49ers’ All-Professional, All-World, All-Over-The-Place linebacker.
They clasped their proper fingers collectively and patted one another on the again, then Warner took his flip on the microphone to dissect the 49ers’ 23-17 loss to the Vikings that may have been lopsided if not for him. He made an interception on the 49ers’ 10-yard line, pressured a comeback-inspiring fumble on the 2-yard line, pressured one other fumble on a sideline sack of Sam Darnold, made a third-down cross breakup, had a sort out for loss and (most likely) fished 15,000 walleye out of Lake Minnetonka.
Warner’s job wasn’t over after the 49ers’ preliminary defeat of a Tremendous Bowl hangover season. He addressed the group afterward with a transparent message: “Now we have a lot expertise in that room and we’re at all times going to play exhausting. However it’s about taking part in smarter.
“We have to protect the football, and obviously we have to take it away on defense. Special teams, we can’t give up that blocked punt. Then defensively, when we say we have to stop the run and be great on third down, and we don’t do either, it’s going to be a long day.”
Every of his teammates rightfully fawned over Warner’s sport, with the added disclaimer that all of them should comply with his lead and play like him. They didn’t Sunday. They misplaced an eighth straight go to to Minnesota.
Listed here are 10 issues that caught my eye – and made me go “whoa, whoa” – in overlaying the 49ers’ first defeat since, properly, you understand, that Las Vegas boondoggle again in February:
1. MISSING McCAFFREY
The 49ers offense isn’t wherever close to as potent as when Christian McCaffrey is in there, particularly within the pink zone when there’s a obvious want for a landing. That is the 49ers’ life they have to stay with as McCaffrey idles on injured reserve with Achilles tendinitis for at the least three extra video games and fairly presumably a pair extra. Coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned surgical procedure has not been mentioned, however IR wasn’t below dialogue three days earlier than it grew to become the transfer.
“There are things we can’t do without Christian,” mentioned tight finish George Kittle, after a prolonged testimonial about McCaffrey’s mismatches with linebackers, his 2023 Offensive Participant of the Yr title and his knack for touchdowns because the offense’s further dimension.
“He has an incredible impact on this team. Just him being around, he boosts everyone’s confidence,” Kittle mentioned. “But I mean, we won last week. I think we had opportunities to find a way to win today and we just didn’t.”
2. RESPECTING MASON
Mourning McCaffrey’s absence isn’t a disrespectful dig at his alternative, Jordan Mason. The undrafted third-year rusher continues to impress along with his skill to determine holes, energy via defenders, leap over a would-be tackler and even cease on a dime and redirect himself upfield.
Mason hit the 100-yard speeding mark (on the nostril, on 20 carries) after a 147-yard beginning debut in Monday night time’s win over the New York Jets.
With such manufacturing, the 49ers ignored him on third-and-1 from the 4-yard line and Purdy as a substitute tried a backward cross that was practically intercepted earlier than Deebo Samuel secured it for a 9-yard loss to arrange Jake Moody’s late discipline aim. The 49ers additionally threw on fourth-and-goal from the two within the second quarter, and the cross obtained tipped and fell incomplete.
3. SLOW STARTS
The 49ers failed to choose up a primary down on their opening possession for the second time in as many video games. And like Monday’s debut in opposition to the Jets, Purdy failed to finish a third-down cross to Samuel; they wanted three yards this sequence, and simply two yards in Monday’s opener.
Whereas Purdy delivered scoring drives on all his eight ensuing sequence within the season opener, this sport went: blocked punt, downs, downs, landing, punt, interception, fumble, landing, discipline aim.
“It’s back-to-back weeks we’ve started out like this, with two not-great drives to start off,” Kittle mentioned. “So as an offense, we have to start better than that and not just have to rely on our defense.”
4. ANYONE SEE AIYUK?
The 49ers offense trudged alongside within the first half with out a lot motion to Brandon Aiyuk, who had a 2-yard catch and just one different goal. Whose fault is is that the $30 million-per-year receiver couldn’t present his price the best way the Vikings obtained 133 first-half yards out of Justin “$35 million” Jefferson?
Aiyuk understandably is rusty after skipping observe via coaching camp and the preseason, and he couldn’t shake security Harrison Smith on one third-down route as Purdy spied him. Don’t lose hope, nonetheless.
Mentioned Purdy: “There are probably a couple of routes in certain looks we could have both been better, but that’s early-season stuff. We’ll continue to get better together with our connection. For four quarters, B.A. grinded and competed.” Aiyuk had three catches after halftime: 22, 7, 12 yards.
5. THIRD-DOWN TRAUMA
Like all loss, third-down deficiencies and turnovers are sometimes accountable. Effectively, the 49ers got here away even on the turnover ratio (because of Warner’s two takeaways offsetting Purdy’s two presents). That meant third downs served as an incredible scapegoat to this defeat.
Offensively, they transformed 2-of-10. Defensively, the Vikings succeeded on 7-of-12. “It’s on me to move the ball, be efficient on first and second down and get us into third-and-manageable and then convert on third down,” mentioned Purdy, whose lone conversions got here on completions to Kittle.
Shanahan famous his protection obtained the Vikings in some crucial third-down spots, solely to have Sam Darnold convert a trio of third-down passes that arrange the Vikings’ insurance coverage discipline aim. “It’s a big part of the game, third down,” Nick Bosa mentioned. “That’s why we have a whole day based on third down. It’s how this league is, and we failed.”
6. INJURY WATCH
Shanahan had no accidents to report afterward, and what a aid that should have been, not solely due to McCaffrey’s black cloud.
Bosa acknowledged he was scared when his ankle obtained rolled up in a pileup within the third quarter. He bounced up and shook off that situation – 4 years after tearing an anterior cruciate knee ligament in a Week 2 highway sport.
The 49ers’ different regarding second featured George Kittle getting carted to the locker room, the place he required fluids to fight leg cramps.
7. SPECIAL TEAMS WOES
Having a punt blocked within the first quarter is an effective way to smash a day. C.J. Ham got here unblocked via the correct facet (previous Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles) to dam the punt by Mitch Wishnowsky, who unusually stood nonetheless fairly than pounce on the stay ball.
Sadly, such particular groups mishaps don’t appear too uncommon on this 49ers period. Nor was it stunning to see rookie punt returner Jacob Cowing botch a fair-catch try on the 10-yard line in a 13-7 sport; fortunate for him, Isaac Yiadom recovered for the 49ers.
In an incredible signal, Cowing was accountable afterward at his locker. He defined that he obtained off stability when he noticed how shut a defender was coming. “I’m just trying to keep my head positive, have a short memory, moving on to the next week and get better,” mentioned Cowing, noting that he likes the big-stage second and the problem U.S. Financial institution Stadium introduced.
All that mentioned, one muffed punt may very well be all of the 49ers must summon Trent Taylor off the observe squad to return punts.
8. MINNESOTA MYSTIQUE
U.S. Financial institution Stadium opened its ninth season with the cacophony anticipated from arguably the NFL’s noisiest and most energetic atmospheres.
“It hurts my soul, honestly. We knew type game going to be and what it would take,” Warner mentioned of the 49ers’ eight-game shedding streak in Minneapolis and third straight loss since this stadium changed the Metrodome.
It wasn’t stunning to see the 49ers commit false-start penalties, one apiece by tackles Trent Williams and Colton McKivitz. Rookie proper guard Dominick Puni in any other case signaled middle Jake Brendel to snap the ball on time to Purdy. “We definitely knew what we were getting into. We played here before,” mentioned Brendel, alluding to final October’s loss. “We understand their fans are really loud, and an indoor stadium is always going to echo more.”
9. TAKING LESSONS
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What the 49ers mentioned after shedding to the Vikings
It’s cliché for gamers and coaches to say how they have to research movie to elucidate their errors and that was a typical response via the customer’s locker room Sunday. However middle Jake Brendel put that into correct perspective and cited their failed fourth-and-goal play for example.
“That’s one of the mistakes we wish we could get back. That’s what film study is for,” Brendel mentioned. “It’s a protracted season and we have to get in there and ensure we appropriate all of the issues we have to appropriate, so we don’t carry any errors into the following week.
10. OVERCOMING DEFEAT
The locker room was as solemn as anticipated after any loss. The gravity of a regular-season defeat can not examine, after all, to the 49ers’ final loss seven months in the past in Tremendous Bowl LVIII.
The 49ers won’t problem the 1972 Miami Dolphins as undefeated Tremendous Bowl champions. However their NFC title protection stays very a lot in play.
Of the 2-0 NFC groups, the Vikings are joined by the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks, the Tampa Bay Bucs and the New Orleans Saints, who’ve piled up 91 factors whereas yielding 29 to Carolina and Dallas mixed.
The 49ers’ title aspirations at all times begin with profitable their division, and a crucial step in that comes subsequent, once they play Sunday at Levi’s South, in any other case referred to as the Los Angeles Rams’ SoFi Stadium; the 49ers are 4-0 in regular-season video games there.
