The Arizona Cardinals entered Sunday without their starting quarterback and top-two wide receivers, and still found a way to overwhelm and humiliate one of their division rivals on the road.
Playing shorthanded -- Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins were sidelined due to injuries -- the Cardinals didn't skip a beat with veteran backup Colt McCoy under center, as their offense manhandled the San Francisco 49ers' defense in a 31-17 win at Levi's Stadium. A golden opportunity wasted by the 49ers, which are still clinging on to playoff hopes.
"The problem lies with [head coach] Kyle Shanahan, because he's also the GM. The bucks stops with him on all personnel and game issues. Right now, he's got personnel issues in his game," Bay Area radio host Damon Bruce told After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Tuesday. "You can't find a team that's getting less out of its draft classes than what Shanahan has in five years now. This is his team, hand-selected, in his vision, and it's not coming together...
"He's got a contract through 2025. I don't think he's in jeopardy of losing his job as head coach. But I really think the 49ers need to consider bringing in a president of football operations who has the final say on the roster. Because Shanahan just seems to be in over his head. Let him get back to doing the one thing he was really groomed to do, and that's coach a football team..."
The 49ers dug themselves an early hole by fumbling twice in the first quarter. Arizona took full advantage of the mistakes and field position, as running back James Conner scored a pair of rushing touchdowns inside the red zone. Midway through the second, the Cardinals held a commanding 17-0 lead.
Conner's day was quite eventful -- he produced 173 total yards of offense and became the fourth player with 11 scrimmage touchdowns through his first nine games with a team since 1990, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
After the game, Shanahan told reporters that he was "extremely disappointed" and "caught off guard" by his team's performance. He also mentioned that he warned players not to take the Murray-less Cardinals lightly. San Francisco is now 0-4 at home this season, and 1-8 dating back to the beginning of 2020.
San Francisco (3-5), which is tied for last in the NFC West standings, will host the rival Los Angeles Rams (7-2) in a Week 10 matchup on Monday, Nov. 15. According to FiveThirtyEight's projections, the 49ers have just a 21-percent chance to reach the playoffs.
The entire 49ers conversation between Bruce and Lawrence can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow After Hours With Amy Lawrence on Twitter @ALawRadio and @AfterHoursCBS, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.