SANTA CLARA — The Kyle Shanahan era may have reached rock bottom.
The 49ers entered Sunday night’s contest as slight favorites against the Indianapolis Colts, fresh off a bye week and playing against an injury-depleted secondary at home. They left the field to a chorus of boos after suffering a 30-18 loss, extending the team’s home losing streak to seven straight games that dates back to Oct. 18, 2020.
In a sloppy, rain-soaked game where Jimmy Garoppolo needed a touchdown to lead the 49ers to a fourth-quarter comeback, he threw an interception with 5:26 left after trying to force a third-down ball into Deebo Samuel in traffic.
A few plays later, Michael Pittman Jr. outleaped and outmuscled Dre Kirkpatrick for a 28-yard touchdown to push the game to its final margin. In the waning minutes, Garoppolo threw another ill-advised interception on a duck in triple coverage, before he was sacked as the clock struck zeroes.
It was a fitting end to a dismal game, one that certainly appeared winnable after San Francisco jumped out to an early 9-0 lead. The 49ers are now riding their first four-game losing streak since they lost six straight in 2018.
“Feel like I just got ran over by a train,” cornerback Josh Norman said after the game.
Garoppolo finished the game 16-of-27 for 181 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Jimmy G looked sharp on the team’s two touchdown drives but looked listless in the other 12, doing little to create separation and job security over rookie quarterback Trey Lance heading into Week 8.
Still, coach Kyle Shanahan sounds like he’s not going to move on quickly from Garoppolo. Asked if Jimmy G will start Sunday against the Chicago Bears, Shanahan said, “I would guess so. I’m going to watch the tape and see if guys are healthy first.”
To that end, Shanahan told reporters the 49ers are “still not sure yet” if Lance will be available next Sunday against the Bears.
While Garoppolo certainly didn’t make enough plays to win the game, it doesn’t appear he did enough to lose the starting gig either.
“I didn’t think there was a ton of bad decisions,” Shanahan said of Garoppolo. “Just missed some throws and, obviously, the ball got away from him a few times.”
The Colts weren’t even at full strength Sunday while stifling Garoppolo. Sure, the windy and rainy conditions didn’t help either team’s passing game, but the 49ers couldn’t take advantage of a Colts secondary that was without star safety Julian Blackmon, who suffered a season-ending injury in practice this week. Starting cornerback Xavier Rhodes missed the first half of the game with a calf injury and cornerback BoPete Keyes left the game with a hamstring injury, but Garoppolo and the Niners couldn’t take advantage.
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The 49ers used play-action well during an early fourth-quarter touchdown drive when Garoppolo converted three straight passes for 70 yards and a score. But it seemed like an outlier on a night when the offense committed four turnovers, punted four times and went 1-for-11 on third-down conversions.
“It starts with me, no doubt about it,” Garoppolo said. “I think we got a good group of guys. Like I said, we gotta go back to work now.”
Shanahan shouldered blame after the game, too. The 49ers are averaging 22.5 points per game this season, which is tied for 20th in the league, and averaging 353.5 yards per game, which ranks 18th in the league. Those aren’t eye-popping numbers from a coach who is supposed to be an offensive genius.
You have to wonder if his play-calling also stifled some early momentum for the 49ers. After Elijah Mitchell bowled his way to 57 yards on five carries on the opening touchdown drive, he opened up the next 49ers possession with a 12-yard run. Though the Colts didn’t appear to have an answer for Mitchell, Garoppolo promptly threw three straight incompletions in the Indianapolis red zone and the 49ers had to settle for a field goal.
Asked if he’s got into a rhythm calling games this season, Shanahan said, “No. I don’t think I’ve got in a great rhythm. I think we’ve done it on a couple of drives, but we have no sustained that. No, I haven’t felt comfortable with it.”
The Shanahan era appears to be at a crossroads. The 49ers are now 31-39 with Shanahan at the helm and look headed toward their fourth losing season in five years. The future franchise quarterback, Lance, appears to be in danger of missing his second straight game due to a knee injury, even with a bye week to aid his recovery. The team burned itself once again with a bunch of crucial defensive pass interference penalties.
Shanahan said he expects to catch some heat for the 49ers’ four-game skid.
“I’m the head coach of this team,” Shanahan said. “I expect it and I deserve it.”
At this rate, you have to start wondering if he'll still be the head coach of the 49ers in 2022.
