Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice joined Bay Area radio station 95.7 The Game on Monday morning to discuss the San Francisco 49ers' disappointing performance in yet another loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Rice was openly critical of the team's effort.
"Yesterday, it was like they were just meeting for the first time," Rice said. "It was that first day of training camp. To see what happened yesterday—and we knew the importance of that football game, and we didn't rise to the occasion."
The 49ers' receiving corps was hit hard by injuries. Jauan Jennings was sidelined with a hip injury, Deebo Samuel only played a few snaps due to illness, and Brandon Aiyuk suffered what's believed to be a season-ending torn ACL in the first half.
The 49ers have struggled against man coverage this season, and Rice believes they need to spread the defense out if opponents continue to use that strategy.
"And then, I think Brock Purdy is going to have passing lanes where he can just process everything, and it doesn't look so congested," Rice said.
Rice also emphasized the need for changes in the offensive play calling if the 49ers hope to win the NFC West. He believes head coach Kyle Shanahan needs to take more deep shots on the edges, as opposing defenses don't seem too concerned about that threat from the 49ers offense.
Reflecting on Sunday's effort, Rice mentioned that such a poor performance would have caused a more significant reaction on the sidelines in his playing days.
"Back in the day, I'm gonna be honest with you, if we played like the way we played yesterday, we would have probably been swinging on each other on the sidelines," Rice admitted. "We would have been fighting each other. That was not the Forty-Niner standard right there."
Rice added, "These guys, they should feel embarrassed."
He went on to speculate about how his teams would have addressed the offensive struggles and if this 49ers squad needs to do something similar.
"Probably, what we would do is just simplify everything," Rice said. "Go back to route running, go back to where Brock Purdy is feeling a little bit more comfortable back there in the backfield, where he can see the lanes where he wants to throw the football and stuff like that. And let these guys earn their money, man. These guys are professionals.
"And I don't know who's going to suit up next week because with all the injuries, [RB Christian] McCaffrey, Samuel, Aiyuk, Jennings, all of that going on, there's still some veteran guys out there, like a DeAndre Hopkins, Mike Williams, Diontae Johnson, and stuff like that. They might have to bring some other people in because I don't know what happened with Deebo yesterday."
Samuel will likely be ready to play against the Dallas Cowboys this weekend, and Shanahan said he hopes to get Jennings back this week.
When asked about the possibility of trading for receiver help following Aiyuk's injury, Shanahan said, "Depends what's available, depends on the risk and reward with everything. We look into everything and every situation but have to balance all that out."
Rice continued, "But I think [the 49ers need] to simplify everything where Brock Purdy is more comfortable, he can see the lanes and stuff like that. I think that's going to equate to winning football games. And also, our defense fought hard. But eventually, they're going to get tired."
Despite the loss, Rice is trying to remain optimistic.
"Things just didn't happen yesterday, but I'm still going to stay positive," Rice said. "They've got to somehow turn it back around, get a win against those Cowboys, which I hate those Cowboys. They're coming to town, but we've got to get it."
You can listen to Rice's entire interview below.
