The San Francisco 49ers are hanging by a thread. At 5-5, the team will travel to Green Bay to face the 7-3 Packers. And the 49ers may be playing this game without one of their best players, edge rusher Nick Bosa, who is dealing with a couple of injuries.
And then there is the news that QB Brock Purdy is dealing with a shoulder injury. That's even bigger news. No one wants to see Brandon Allen try to win a game in Lambeau.
If the 49ers can manage to beat the Packers, they will still have a shot at salvaging their season. If they lose this game and lose the following week in Buffalo (which seems likely), we can safely assume their chances of getting into the playoffs are over.
We opened the 49ers Webzone Mailbag this week to find out what was on your mind. To my surprise, there weren't as many "Fire Kyle Shanahan" posts as I expected. Let's jump in and see what questions you have.
How come Shanahan refuses to use Jordan Mason more when he has been playing well and averaging better than 5 ypc this season? - Johnny Y.
That's the question many fans are asking. Jordan Mason filled in admirably for Christian McCaffrey when he was out with an Achilles injury. Mason was the second-leading rusher in the NFL before his shoulder injury. And now that McCaffrey is back, Mason has touched the ball a total of three times in two games. That's surprising, especially when you can tell McCaffrey isn't completely healthy. The reigning Offensive Player of the Year is adding a lot in the passing game but hasn't impacted the run game that much so far. That's Mason's strength, and he should play more.
The hope is that we'll see that this week.
Has Shanahan lost the locker room? - Joe S.
Are there any rumblings in the locker room of the players losing/lost faith in either the coordinators or in Kyle? - Will S.
No, by all accounts, it seems like Shanahan still has the locker room behind him. There have been no rumblings to say otherwise. But we all know that after several years, a leader's message can become dry and tiresome. That's why leaders continually have to grow and reinvent themselves. If Shanahan doesn't do that, he could start losing his team, especially if they continue to lose games they should have easily won.
Winning cures all, so he'll be fine if the 49ers can turn this season around. If they continue losing, keeping the team behind him will be much more difficult. But I don't believe Shanahan is losing the locker room.
As far as the other coordinators losing the players, I haven't heard that either. But it doesn't mean it isn't happening. They seemed to have had some issues with Steve Wilks last season, yet his defense was better than the current one. And special teams continue to be horrible, so I wouldn't be surprised if players are ready for someone new to coach that part of the game.
What can the 49ers do to fix these issues before their game next week in Green Bay? - Shawniieboy
The first thing they need to do is stop shooting themselves in the foot. They are making too many mistakes. They're making errors that young teams and bad teams make. When a big play happens and it gets called back because of a penalty, it kills drives (or in the defense's case, extends drives). Per Nick Wagoner, of ESPN, "The 49ers had nine penalties for 54 yards against the Seahawks. Of those 9, 7 went against the offense for 44 yards. Of those 7, 5 took place at midfield or in Seattle territory. Those offensive penalties contributed negative-4.91 expected points added (EPA)." So you can see how their own mistakes cost them the game.
#49ers had nine penalties for 54 yards against the Seahawks.
Of those 9, 7 went against the offense for 44 yards.
Of those 7, 5 took place at midfield or in Seattle territory.
Those offensive penalties contributed negative-4.91 expected points added (EPA).
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) November 18, 2024
It would also help if Bosa and George Kittle were healthy enough to play in Green Bay. Not having both players in the Seattle game (Kittle for the entire game and Bosa for the end of the game) was a big issue. But every team deals with injuries.
Purdy needs to be better, and more accurate. Deebo Samuel needs to remember how to break tackles. Ricky Pearsall can't be shut out. The offensive line has to be much better. Shanahan needs to refresh his playbook. Nick Sorensen needs to be more creative (more on him later).
Teams have been loading the box against the 49ers, trying to take away the run game. The 49ers need to figure out how to overcome that and loosen up defenses. Make teams pay for playing so close to the line of scrimmage.
One big thing that seems to be missing is that edge the 49ers played with in seasons past. Teams dreaded playing the 49ers because they knew they were going to get beat up. They were physical, aggressive, and punished opponents. We haven't seen that team in 2024.
Is Kyle Shanahan burned out? - Ronnie C.
He does look tired and frustrated, but losing will do that to you. I've seen images of what Shanahan looked like in 2017, when he took the 49ers job, versus what he looks like now. The pressure has taken its toll.
But Shanahan loves what he does. He lives for this, so I doubt he's burned out. He may be worn out, but I don't think he's burned out.
It is interesting to think, though, about how he will one day exit this organization. Will he be fired or will he walk away on his own? For those of us old enough to remember, we saw the toll this job took on Bill Walsh. Part of that was how Walsh was wired, being a perfectionist, never being content, and letting the stress of the job get to him. Shanahan doesn't seem to be wired the same way.
How long Bosa is gonna be out? - Eden P.
Bosa is considered day-to-day. According to Shanahan, Bosa has a chance to play on Sunday. And he has a chance to not play on Sunday. I know—that's not very helpful. Don't shoot the messenger.
We should find out more as the week rolls along, but I would be surprised if Bosa plays in Green Bay. Especially since the team added DE Jonathan Garvin to the practice squad on Wednesday. That could be an indication Bosa isn't going to play this weekend.
In your opinion, will a 10-7 record be good enough for the 49ers or any of the other teams to win the NFC West? - Ed H.
A 10-7 record may be good enough to win the NFC West. But here's the problem: the 49ers already have five losses. So to go 10-7, they can only lose two more games. And they still have to go to Green Bay and Buffalo. Plus, they play the Detroit Lions, who will be motivated by their NFC Championship Game collapse. They also still have to play the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams. Divisional games are never easy. And don't forget, the 49ers travel to Miami in December. That doesn't look like as tough of a matchup as before the season, but with the way the 49ers are playing, nothing is guaranteed.
It doesn't help that the Cardinals have one of the easiest schedules the rest of the way. The 49ers do not have an easy schedule and are still dealing with the rest disadvantages that they've faced most of the season. Thanks, NFL.
So, yes, 10-7 could win the division. But it will be tough for the 49ers to finish with only two more losses.
When will Sorensen be walked to the door? Or will Shanahan be first? Someone has to answer for this monstrosity (blown 4Q leads/penalties etc)! Stop saying we don't have the players. Each of the rookies has shown they're ready. We don't have the coaching! - Jay B.
I have a question when will the defensive coordinator be fired? 36 points we've given up in 4th quarter this season! cannot read an offense cannot close out a game someone needs to be held accountable for these losses!! Oh and not to mention that Jake Moody misses field goals like it's allowed. - Dominic L.
Shanahan is safe. He is not going to be fired because of one bad season the year after going to the Super Bowl. Fans like to say he can't win the big game, but he has won big games. Each NFC Championship win is a win in a big game. The 49ers just haven't finished yet. But that doesn't mean Shanahan can't win the Super Bowl. He's come close twice.
The other two coordinators, though, are a different story. Special Teams Coordinator Brian Schneider is not going to be coming back. I have no inside knowledge, it's just a hunch. How could he? His part of the team has been the worst part for multiple years.
And Sorensen might be fired after the season, as well. He hasn't done a bad job, but his fourth-quarter collapses are killing the team. I would imagine Wilks is enjoying these losses. According to John Chapman, of 49ers Rush Podcast, "The 49ers defense has allowed points in every 4th quarter in all 10 games this season. Last year under Steve Wilks they held opponents scoreless in the 4th quarter in 11 games!"
The 49ers defense has allowed points in every 4th quarter in all 10 games this season.
— John Chapman (@JL_Chapman) November 18, 2024
Last year under Steve Wilks they held opponents scoreless in the 4th quarter in 11 games! pic.twitter.com/VYTzIYJJFj
To be fair, Wilks had Dre Greenlaw, Arik Armstead, Javon Hargrave, and a healthy Talanoa Hufanga (for most of the season). Losing Bosa on Sunday hurt the defense without a doubt. The Seahawks' yards-per-play average doubled once Bosa left the game. And let's not forget that Charvarius Ward did not play on Sunday.
Sorensen has to be better, but the defense has dealt with some major injuries this season. That said, I'm not sure he'll be the defensive coordinator in 2025. But neither he nor Schneider will be fired during the season. Shanahan doesn't operate that way.
Once Bosa was out, the Seahawks easily scored two TD's. Is our D that predictable and dependent on one star? - Andy G.
That was certainly the case on Sunday. According to Wagoner, with Bosa, Seattle averaged 3.3 yards per play. Without Bosa, they averaged 6.1 yards per play. That's a big difference.
Seahawks with Nick Bosa on the field Sunday: 3.3 yards per play
Seahawks with Bosa off the field: 6.1 yards per play
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) November 18, 2024
On the final drive, I felt Sorensen needed to be more aggressive, and bring more pressure. If I remember right, he blitzed once, possibly twice. Maybe he should have disguised more coverages to try to confuse Geno Smith. He could have shown a blitz and then backed off on some plays, then brought the pressure on others. The defense looked too vanilla on the final drive. Of course, that's easy to say after the fact.
In the 49ers' 3 divisional losses, they had the lead in the 4th by at least 4 points yet blew all 3 games. How do you see the 49ers and Shanahan making the necessary adjustments for the final 7 games? - Johnny Y.
This is going to be overly simplistic, but they just have to figure out how to finish. For the players, it's making that tackle you missed last time, or blocking that defender you didn't block before. All three phases, offense, defense, and special teams, need to be better. Clean up your mistakes, and quit committing so many penalties. The Seahawks are the most penalized team in the league, but on Sunday, the 49ers committed more of them.
The 49ers have played down to their opponents this season. In the next two weeks, they will be the underdogs. If San Francisco can play up to their opponents and win either in Green Bay or in Buffalo, that may salvage the season. If they lose both, the season is all but over.
Has Shanahan run out of his creativity, and the rest of the league has "caught up"? It seems pretty clear our line has lost the ability to create run lanes or to give Purdy enough time in the pocket to go through his progressions. Can he not go "off script" and try something else? This doesn't seem to be working anymore. - Will S.
Why are the offensive plays the same all the time? It's boring. - Craig H.
No one thought Shanahan's plays were boring last season when the 49ers were scoring over 30 points each game. But I will agree with Will and Craig that something is off. Things don't look the same.
The biggest issue is that the players aren't executing. I know the "Anti Kyle" crowd doesn't want to hear that, but Purdy hasn't been as sharp this season, McCaffrey has missed all but the last two games, the receivers have been in and out of the lineup, and the offensive line hasn't been great.
But I don't want to give Shanahan a complete pass. The offense has lacked some creativity, at times. If you think of their final drive on Sunday, in which they failed to put the game away, there was a run to McCaffrey, a pass to Samuel, and a pass to Jennings. The pass to Samuel was high and fell incomplete. The pass to Jennings was short of the first down marker. It just seems like, with the game on the line, Shanahan could have come up with three plays that were better than those. Now, if Purdy doesn't miss the pass to Samuel, maybe they pick up a first down and put the Seahawks away.
Why is Kyle coaching scared? He has us looking like a boxer that got punched and we forgot how to swing back! No risk no reward and we look as stale as I have seen since he arrived. How is he keeping the locker room together, or is he? - Chef Hazim A.
I'm not sure Shanahan is coaching scared, but I agree that something is off. Is it him? Is it the players? Is it that his offense is now being run by several teams around the league and defenses have figured out how to slow it down? Whatever it is, he and his team need to get it straightened out. They're on track to miss the postseason, with a critical offseason coming quickly.
That's all we have for this mailbag. Thanks so much for all the great questions. Check back next week. We'll have a brand new mailbag, win or lose.
- Marc Adams
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Written by:Speaker. Writer. Covering the San Francisco 49ers. Host of the 49ers Camelot show.
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