Before conceding the 49ers are done three games into the 2024 season, remember they’ve been here before in each of the last three seasons — all of which landed them in the NFC Championship Game.
This time it just happened earlier, courtesy of a 27-24 three-phase meltdown against the Los Angeles Rams Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
“Last year we lost three in a row after winning five in a row,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “I know how that felt then.”
Ah yes, it’s all coming back . . . the 49ers were the toast of the NFL after five straight wins before losing 19-17 on the road to Cleveland and practice squad quarterback P.J. Walker. Then came a 22-17 loss at Minnesota and finally a 31-17 home loss to Cincinnati.
The 49ers were 5-3 and the most critical of the fan base had written them off.
Or how about, 2022? The 49ers were 7-4 with Jimmy Garoppolo stepping in for an injured Trey Lance. Then Garoppolo went down, and off the bench came seventh-round pick Brock Purdy, the last pick in the draft.
There weren’t a lot of people locally or nationally thinking playoffs at that point.
Then there was 2021, when the 49ers, at 3-5, had been worked over by Arizona and then blew out the Rams 31-14. They ended up 10-7 and in the playoffs.
This time, the 49ers are 1-2, which in most places isn’t seen as a death knell, but at 4949 Marie P. DeBartolo Way spawns a legion of “woe is me” outlooks on mainstream media and social media.
“It’s definitely a rough start, but there’s a ton of football to be played,” defensive end Nick Bosa told reporters. “We’ve been through some tough stretches before so we have to stay together. We have the guys to do it.”
So time is on their side, because there is so much of it left.
The solution last season was a much-needed bye week that rejuvenated everybody. In 2022, Purdy ended up being better than anyone expected, including the 49ers, and they continued to win and even got better at quarterback. They won their last 10 regular season games, five of those after Purdy replaced Garoppolo.
Renardo Green (0) interferes with the Rams’ Tyler Johnson (18) in the 49ers’ 27-24 loss at SoFi Stadium. A.P. Photo
The impetus in 2021 was Shanahan using Deebo Samuel as a “wide back” who could do damage and create matchups as a receiver and a runner.
Whether the 49ers can reverse course this season remains to be seen and there are reasons to be worried but not despondent.
The two biggest problems are defensive play and special teams. Matthew Stafford and a cast of castoffs continually attacked the 49ers at crucial moments. Stafford got time to throw, and the 49ers couldn’t cover adequately either at linebacker (De’Vondre Campbell specifically) or in the secondary.
All the good feelings through camp and Week 1 with coordinator Nick Sorensen and assistant head coach Brandon Staley replacing the one-and-done Steve Wilks have quickly dissipated. We’re back to Bosa providing a push off the edge and in need of help pushing the pocket both inside and outside.
Cornerback Isaac Yiadom was targeted frequently by the Rams, with rookies Renardo Green and Malik Mustapha potentially worthy of bigger roles even accounting for Green’s end zone penalty against the Rams.
Special teams under Shanahan have never been a priority to be confused with offense or defense and that’s not likely to change. The best the 49ers can hope — and what Shanahan wants — is to not lose the game on special teams. He’s not looking at special teams to win it.
You can argue that’s what happened against the Rams with L.A. getting a jolt of momentum from a fourth-and-6 fake punt and later a 38-yard punt return from Xavier Smith to set up the winning points.
The good news, if there is such a thing in the immediate aftermath of a loss, is that at some point, Samuel, George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey will return, although McCaffrey’s status is the most cloudy. There’s also the remarkable ongoing recovery of first-round pick Ricky Pearsall Jr. And if it wasn’t apparent already, Jauan Jennings is a threat to be reckoned with after catching 11 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns against the Rams.
Football being what it is, it’s a stretch to think the 49ers will get all their injured players back in peak form. Each player would be like an Apollo booster, adding fuel to an offense that with Purdy is above average the way it is.
Seattle is 3-0 and atop the NFC West. The 49ers, Rams and Arizona Cardinals are all 1-2. The 49ers play the Seahawks twice on Oct. 10 and Nov. 17.
When the best teams in the NFC are Seattle and Minnesota, now 3-0 with Sam Darnold at quarterback, it serves as a reminder of how early it is in the season. Plus it’s not like Philadelphia, Detroit and Dallas are looking like world-beaters. There’s no guarantee Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy even makes it to Levi’s Stadium on Oct. 27.
Shanahan was disappointed but reasonable in the aftermath of Sunday’s loss because he’s been through this before. Whatever Shanahan’s shortcomings, he’s not the Raiders’ Antonio Pierce publicly threatening players who made “business decisions” after a loss to Carolina.
Should Ronnie Bell have caught a pass that would have set up the winning field goal attempt? Yes. Did the 49ers make mistakes in all three phases to lose a game against the Rams they could have won handily? Absolutely.
There are 14 games to play, which is what an NFL regular season used to be back in the day.
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So the “preseason” is over, and time for the 49ers to either stand up and be counted or have their championship dreams circle the drain before the playoffs even begin.
That could have happened in 2021, but it didn’t. It could have happened in 2022 and it didn’t. It could have happened last year and it didn’t.
A pretty shaky New England team comes to town in Week 4. Win and things will look a lot different. Lose and watch the real panic begin.