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The 49ers’ 28-18 loss to the visiting Arizona Cardinals Sunday afternoon was the team’s worst defeat of the year. The Cardinals entered Sunday as the only winless team in the NFL. They started rookie quarterback Josh Rosen, who made his second professional start and subsequent first win.
The 49ers (1-4) lost largely due to turning the ball over five times. They dominated the stat sheet, doubling the Cardinals in yardage and time of possession and tripling them in first downs. But the Cardinals did not turn the ball over once.
Many of the issues that have plagued the 49ers this year — missed tackles, turnovers, penalties, and dropped passes — are self-inflicted. There are people pointing to the coaching staff and upper management as the scapegoats for those shortcomings and lack of player development.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport joined KNBR’s Murph and Mac Monday morning to talk about the 49ers’ season. Rapoport does not feel it’s fair to blame head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch for the state of these 49ers, considering the injuries that have swept the roster. Jimmy Garoppolo and Jerick McKinnon’s first full seasons with the 49ers have been wiped away with season-ending knee injuries, and several additional key players have missed time.
“It’s catastrophic and historic,” Rapoport said. “I think in these situations, let’s say that Kyle (Shanahan) and John Lynch did not have six-year deals. Let’s say we could debate their job status right now. It would be really hard for me to say they deserve any blame for what is going on. Who’s to blame when a quarterback has a freak knee injury and the running back has an even freak-er knee injury? Yes, any team is going to be much, much worse when they lose two of their best players.”
Rapoport pointed out that the 49ers are the only team in the NFL that lost their franchise quarterback this season. He mentioned the Cleveland Browns, which lost starter Tyrod Taylor to injury, but backup and No. 1 draft pick Baker Mayfield has proven to be an upgrade.
Only a couple teams — the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles — have lost their starting running backs for the season. The 49ers have endured season-ending injuries to both their quarterback and running back, not to mention Marquise Goodwin and Dante Pettis, two of San Francisco’s top three receivers, missed Sunday’s game.
“This year is going to be horrible,” Rapoport said. “It’s going to be terrible. But in the long run, it’s literally just one year in the rebuilding process.”
Listen to the full podcast below. To hear Rapoport talk about Shanahan and Lynch, skip to the 3:35 mark.