GREEN BAY, Wisc. – Defensive tackle Maliek Collins sat at his locker, slipped on his high-top sneakers and quietly surmised the 49ers’ stature.
“We’re a 5-6 football team that has hope, for sure,” Collins said. “Guys in this locker room know what we have. “
They may have talent and faith, but they also have glaring issues, as reflected by Sunday’s 38-10 loss to the Packers, the most lopsided road loss since Kyle Shanahan took over a floundering franchise in 2017.
Shanahan’s message afterward to his crumbling, injury-laden, mistake-prone outfit? “Just stressing how this wasn’t a good loss,” rookie guard Dominick Puni said. “I don’t know if I can cuss, but it was bad. We all share a bad feeling right now.”
How is it going to feel next Sunday night, when the 49ers’ next road trip takes them to the Buffalo Bills, who are 9-2 and coming off their bye?
“My optimism is not broken by any means,” tight end George Kittle said. “We still have a lot of very talented players. We will get some guys back and I still have full trust in coaches have to put our guys in position to make plays, and I got no worry about that. But definitely an uphill grind, and I guess (we’ll see) what we’re made of, which I’m looking forward to.”
Catching my eye Sunday were these 10 things:
1. MISSING MEN
What’s a team to do without its quarterback (Brock Purdy; shoulder), All-Pro left tackle (Trent Williams; ankle) and star defensive end (Nick Bosa; obliques), not to overlook earlier exits this season by the best wide receiver (Brandon Aiyuk; knee), defensive tackle (Javon Hargrave; biceps) and safety (Talanoa Hufanga; wrist)?
Williams was the only surprise scratch from Sunday’s lineup, to which Puni said: “He’s a great voice on the team, a great leader. Anytime you miss one of your leaders, it sucks. Same with Brock, too. There’s a reason they’re captains, because they have a voice on the team. It’s a big impact.”
Purdy, Williams and Bosa are all captains. So are George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Kyle Juszczyk, Deebo Samuel and Fred Warner. Kittle is the only one who excelled Sunday.
“I’m really not concerned right now about how many guys were missing,” Shanahan said. “We didn’t play good enough, so that’s not a factor.”
Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon agreed that injuries are no excuse: “We didn’t have our quarterback (earlier this season). We won three games, so we don’t wanna hear that. We came to play. They should’ve came to play.”
2. PURDY’S STATUS
As the sun set on Lambeau Field at 4:16 pm Sunday, Purdy relocated his spot on the bench to sit next to his injury replacement, Brandon Allen. They looked up on the video boards to watch the Packers play ball hog on a touchdown drive that benefited from the 49ers’ 12-men-on-the-field penalties (more on that later).
Purdy was on the 49ers’ first bus to Lambeau. Will he be on the first-string offense in Buffalo? Claiming nothing major was spotted on Purdy’s …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment