Where do the troubled Niners go from here (aside from Buffalo)?

It wasn’t only that the Niners were without notable starters Brock Purdy, defensive end Nick Bosa, and offensive tackle Trent Williams due to injuries. It also was because the men on the field seemed to be as confused as they were incapable.

These Niners have evolved from a team that last season appeared in the Super Bowl—oh how far away that seems with the current circumstances—to one that appears incapable of stopping making penalties or even more critically incapable of stopping the opponent from making yards on the ground.

Statistics are sometimes misleading. Not this time. The Niners failed to record a first down until roughly midway through the second quarter. They gained only 44 yards rushing (while allowing 169). They were called for nine penalties, costing them 77 yards. The Packers had an unordinary five penalties for 44 yards. 

As you might surmise, the Niners coach Kyle Shanahan, having endured one of the most one-sided defeats in his coaching career, was less than thrilled.

“We missed way too many tackles,” said Shanahan. “The 1st half was the worst.” 

That’s when they fell behind 17-7. 

“We had three turnovers and they all turned into touchdowns,” emphasized Shanahan—as if on this Sunday, when the Niners dropped to a record of 5-6 and the bottom of the mediocre NFC West, he needed to be emphatic. What he needs to do is figure out how to restore the winning ways, something that may prove difficult. 

San Francisco next plays at Buffalo against a Bills team that is the only one in this season of 2024 to defeat the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. Purdy’s return certainly will help, not that the Niners didn’t get an impressive temporary replacement in Brandon Allen, who hadn’t been in a game for three years. He completed seventeen passes for 199 yards. 

It's the defense—formerly the backbone of the Niners—that needs fixing. Suddenly, they can't stop the run, and when that becomes a problem, a team is in serious trouble. The opponent simply calls one ground play after another, gaining yards and keeping the ball. In the end, on Sunday, the Packers controlled the ball for 36 minutes compared to San Francisco's 23. Hard to do much in football without the ball, except conjure up ways to get it and then give it away. The three turnovers—an interception, a lost fumble by Allen, and another by Christian McCaffrey—were part of the reason the Niners' offense was stymied. 

Where do the Niners go from this point? Do they regain some of their skills and their mojo? Or, because of what has transpired, does it get worse before it gets better? If it ever gets better?  

Amazing how long it takes to reach the top or close to it, and how quickly a team can tumble.