Inman: Top 10 things that caught my eye in 49ers’ season-opening loss
CHICAGO — The 49ers’ season-opening loss at Chicago will be remembered for the rainy mess, the dozen penalties, the defensive freefall, and the inability of Trey Lance to pull out a Jimmy Garoppolo-esque fourth-quarter comeback win here.
If all that combines for the “growing pains” expected out of a new quarterback in his first year as a starter, so be it.
Of course, Lance and all say they’ll learn from this, that such a humbling experience will motivate them going forth. The beauty of a 17-game season is there certainly will be time to prove themselves — and to improve.
Here are 10 takeaways beyond the box score:
1. LANCE’S ACCOUNTABILITY
After losing his first season-opening start, Trey Lance correctly said he made too many mistakes. And then he listed them: overthrowing Tyler Kroft near the goal line, getting sacked to eliminate a field-goal try, missing third-down throws to Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings, and having a fourth-quarter pass intercepted down 13-10.
Left tackle Trent Williams was in the media room as the 22-year-old quarterback plead his guilt, and Williams put Lance’s accountability into perspective. “This is why they handed him the keys to the organization. He’s a mature dude, he’s a great teammate,” Williams said. “Yeah, that doesn’t surprise us.”
What was Lance’s demeanor down the stretch? “He was laid back, even when it was pouring down rain and it was a two-score game and we had to make something happen really quick,” Williams replied. “He didn’t waver at all. He stayed calm, cool, and collected.”
Jimmy Garoppolo, Lance’s predecessor, did not play a snap in his new role as the backup quarterback. Garoppolo engineered fourth-quarter comebacks in December 2017 and last Halloween here.
Lance, by the way, said he emerged healthy from his heavy workload (13 carries, 28 passes, two sacks) other than a few scratches, which is unlike his starting debut last season, when he awoke with a sprained knee following a 16-carry loss at Arizona.
2. MITCHELL’S KNEE
Elijah Mitchell walked out of the 49ers’ locker room with his right leg stabilized by a black knee brace. How bad is he hurt? “Not sure,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “They thought he had a chance to come back, and they ruled him out.”
Mitchell’s knee took a hard hit from safety Eddie Jackson on an 11-yard run early in the second quarter, and Mitchell stayed in the game. He had a 1-yard carry on the next snap, and he helped block a few snaps later on Deebo Samuel’s touchdown run. Considering how banged up Mitchell got in his 963-yard rookie season, this latest health alert seems too familiar.
3. RUSHING OPTIONS
With or without Mitchell, the 49ers wanted to distribute the ball among several players, as will be the case going forward. This game, Lance came away with 13 carries (54 yards), Jeff Wilson Jr. had nine (22 yards), Samuel had eight (52 yards) and Brandon Aiyuk had a 7-yard run on the opening drive.
The 49ers did not suit up 2022 third-round draft pick Ty Davis-Price, and that conjured up memories of last season’s opener, when they didn’t dress Trey Sermon, a 2021 third-round pick who got cut after this past preseason. Instead of activating Davis-Price, the 49ers opted for undrafted rookie Jordan Mason because he fared better on special teams, Shanahan said.
Wilson is more of a third-down back but has the veteran experience to handle full-time chores, if needed. That doesn’t mean he’ll be RB1 if Mitchell is out an extended time. It could be Mason, could be Davis-Price.
4. DEEBO DELIVERS
Samuel fumbled on his first carry when Jaylon Johnson punched the ball free at the 12-yard line. That wasn’t enough to dare sway the 49ers from not giving him the ball again, and he showed his physical demeanor especially well in barrelling into safety Eddie Jackson at the goal line for a 6-yard touchdown run. “Once I see a hole, I’m going to hit it and whatever happens, happens,” Samuel said.
5. SAFETY REVIEW
Samuel’s turnover was negated on the ensuing series when safety Talanoa Hufanga intercepted Fields. Hufanga finished with a career-high 11 tackles. “From what I saw out there, it looked like he played really well,” Shanahan said. “I was seeing him a lot early, especially making that turnover. But you never know until you watch the tape.”
Tashaun Gipson started at free safety alongside Hufanga. Gipson dropped a potential interception. And there was one example of a blown coverage when 49ers castoff Dante Pettis was wide open at the 30-yard line on an eventual 51-yard touchdown.
Fields on Hufanga’s interception: “They were in three-hook-weak (coverage). The safety came down. I saw Mooney opening up. I tried to move Fred, who is a front-side hook defender, with my eyes the right way, but that back-side hook defender, like I said before, they played the vision and break defense. So once that back side hook defender saw my eyes go right, then he came over a little bit, the safety did, and that’s why they got the pick.”
6. WEATHER CONDITIONS
Soldier Field’s new Bermuda sod understandably puddled up amid pregame showers, and although the rain broke for a chunk of the game, a downpour arrived as the 49ers’ faded in the fourth quarter.
“Once we got the ball back after the turnover we had, it just started (raining again),” Samuel said. “The ball was heavy. It was hard for Trey to throw it. It was hard to catch it.”
How did it compare to the 49ers’ rain-soaked loss at home against Indianapolis last year? “Today was probably worse,” safety Talanoa Hufanga said. “But conditions don’t matter. It makes it fun. It’s not an advantage for the defense or the offense. Everybody is feeling the same thing on the field.”
The Bears’ celebrated with belly slides on the wet turf, similar to the 49ers’ move after a 2019 win at Washington. Matt Eberflus’ response when asked if was tempted to celebrate in that fashion after his first win as Bears coach, he said: “There was no belly flop going. No, I wasn’t going to do that.”
7. BEEN THERE, DONE THAT
Nick Bosa on the 49ers’ mood: “We’re going to be alright. We’ve been through worse. We’d obviously like to get a win, but it’s just annoying to give a game away like that. Just happy to get back to California.”
Last time the 49ers left Chicago, they snapped a four-game losing streak with last Halloween’s victory. That game reignited the 49ers’ hopes for a season that reached the NFC Championship round.
Lance said of his message to teammates on the sideline: “We’ve got to keep our head up, keep grinding. It’s a long season. Sixteen more of these in the regular season.”
8. RAY-RAY IN THE RAIN
Credit Ray-Ray McCloud, the 49ers’ new return specialist and slot receiver, for not muffing the four punts and two kickoffs he fielded. McCloud entered with 11 fumbles (nine lost) in his career. McCloud had only one reception, but it came on an almost mystical, 20-yard tightrope from Lance.
9. FIELDS ON DEFENSE
Fields claimed he wasn’t surprised to see Dante Pettis so wide open on the 51-yard touchdown pass, after Fields scrambled out of Arik Armstead’s clutches. “No, not really, just because the defense they play, vision and break defense,” Fields said. “They’re just watching me, watching my eyes, and kind of watching where I go.
“So I knew he was over there and once I kind of looked right and saw him there wide open, I just wanted to, I lofted it up just to make sure he caught the ball.”
10. LOSING HURTS
Trent Williams sat stonefaced at his locker with his shirt off after the game. Meanwhile, reporters interviewed guard Aaron Banks in the locker next to Williams (and Banks said he’s working on honing his technique).
Why was Williams so stoic? Was this a normal sight after a loss, considering reporters have not been in a regular-season locker room since 2019, the season before Williams’ arrival from Washington?
“It’s because of the loss. Anytime you lose, you’re never happy,” Williams said. “Just had to take a minute to collect my thoughts. But yeah. It sucks when you know you had the game in hand and you know that a lot of unforced mistakes is what really caused it. We’ve got a young team, we’ll bounce back and we’ll be better next week.
“But anytime you let a team hang around, it’s never gonna be that good. It just so happens that when we really had to move the ball through the air, the weather was at its worst. That’s what happens in football.”