As 49ers search for answers, Kyle Shanahan must look in the mirror

First-year defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans was in over his head against an innovative offensive mind in Kliff Kingsbury. Offensively, the 49ers shot themselves in the foot with multiple turnovers in plus-territory.

It was a comedy of errors for the 49ers in what ended up being a 31-17 loss. Arizona’s offense racked up 22 first downs and 437 total yards. It converted 7-of-15 third-down opportunities with the unit’s second stringers at quarterback, running back and wide receiver on the field. But in the end, it’s Mr. Kyle Shanahan who must look in the mirror.

Shanahan has to answer the critics of these 49ers

His in-game coaching continued to leave a lot to be desired. Down 31-7 in the third quarter, San Francisco pulled closer with a Jimmy Garoppolo to Brandon Aiyuk touchdown pass. Shockingly, Shanahan opted against going for two. Instead, the 49ers found themselves down by three scores heading into the final stanza.

That’s in no way the end of the issues we saw from the head coach. Down by 17 in the fourth quarter, San Francisco was facing fourth-and-13 from the Cardinals' 39. So, what did Shanahan do? He opted to punt — drawing moans from a frustrated fan base inside Levi’s Stadium.

We fully get that fourth and long is not typically successful against NFL-level defenses. But you’re pretty much conceding defeat by punting it.

San Francisco’s defense actually stepped up on the Cardinals' next possession, forcing a three-and-out and setting up good field position. Once again facing fourth down, this time from inside Arizona’s 10, Shanahan opted to kick the field goal. Those were the final points San Francisco scored in what ended up being a 14-point loss.

I am not here to Monday morning quarterback. There’s enough of that going around in today’s click-bait society. I am also not concluding that San Francisco needs to turn the page and fire Shanahan less than two years after he led the team to a Super Bowl appearance. But blame needs to be thrown in his direction. He needs to answer the critics. He must look in the mirror before the fledgling 49ers face with a disastrous second half of the season.

After the game, Shanahan told reporters he was “caught off guard” by the performance and expected much better after a strong week of practice. “I Know our fans are disappointed,” the head coach said. “I’m disappointed, too.”

But that’s the crux of the issue in Santa Clara. We’re not seeing any adjustments from the head coach or his staff, both offensively and defensively. You can’t continue to run misdirections with a limited quarterback and not expect opposing defenses to start snuffing it out. You can’t continue to run the same blitz packages and not expect elite-level offensive minds to expose them. That was the case throughout Sunday’s ugly loss.

San Francisco 49ers just didn’t come to play

More than in-game coaching, dumb mistakes and turnovers, this speaks directly to the coaching. From the opening kickoff to the final whistle, Arizona simply wanted this game more than San Francisco.

It’s a shocking realization to come to considering what had been happening behind the scenes in the desert. The Cards could have easily shown up flat without their MVP candidate quarterback under center. They didn’t. It was next man up for Kliff Kingsbury and Co.

For a San Francisco team that was returning All-Pro tight end George Kittle from injured reserve and had an opportunity to get to .500, the 49ers were all sorts of flat. Shanahan needs to take some of the blame.

Personally, I am not sure where San Francisco goes from here. Garoppolo was not the problem Sunday. In fact, he might have been the 49ers’ best player. The embattled quarterback completed 28-of-40 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns. It’s not like turning to Trey Lance is magically going to save this sinking ship.

What we do know is that San Francisco finds itself at 3-5 heading into Week 10’s outing against the Los Angeles Rams. There’s absolutely no reason to believe the 49ers will be even competitive. That’s the harsh reality.

It’s now time for the 49ers’ brass to look at what they are doing instead of repeating the same old storylines after every loss. Short of this happening, things are going to take an even darker turn in Northern California. The San Francisco 49ers’ loss on Sunday adds another layer to that.