The San Francisco 49ers suffered a narrow one-point loss to the Arizona Cardinals last week in the 2024 NFL, leaving head coach Kyle Shanahan‘s team with a 2-3 record and prompting a statement aimed at rebuilding morale for the upcoming game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Considering the 49ers were at the level to reach the Super Bowl final last season, the start to the current campaign leaves much to be desired, especially since the last two losses were to division rivals: Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams.
“I haven’t lost confidence in this team,” Shanahan made clear about the 49ers’ attitude. “We should have won these two divisional games. We got sloppier in terms of our turnovers, plus against the Cardinals we didn’t score in the second half,” the San Francisco coach sentenced.
The 49ers scored all of their points in the first two quarters of the game against the Cardinals, ending the first half with a 13-point lead, which they were unable to enforce. “When you have a lead over others, you need to finish them off, and to do that you have to keep scoring. If you don’t, you can’t lose the ball,” Shanahan harshly criticized his team’s performance.
Key match against Seattle Seahawks
The San Francisco 49ers will open Week 6 of the 2024 NFL on Thursday Night Football when they travel to visit the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. The game is a big one for Kyle Shanahan’s team, as it is the third divisional matchup of the season.
Another loss would not only mean a third defeat in the last four games, but also a 2-4 record that would damage the future perspective of a team designed to go high in the season. It is within this context that Shanahan’s moralizing statements are explained.