49ers overreactions: Offensive, defensive lines to blame for loss?

49ers overreactions: Offensive, defensive lines to blame for loss? originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

As poorly as the 49ers played, they still had ample opportunities to pull out the victory.

And it would have been a blowout if 49ers linebacker Fred Warner did not come up with two takeaways to prevent the Minnesota Vikings from scoring two more touchdowns.

The 49ers had system-wide failures on Sunday in their 23-17 loss to the Vikings in Week 2.

San Francisco got out-schemed and out-played. There’s no question about it. The dream of a perfect season is over. And the 49ers’ fan base is not happy.

Thankfully, we have another edition of 49ers Overreactions to serve as a platform for the purposes of venting.

Here we go . . .

Offensive line pass protection was bad. Feel like had that been better Purdy would have been in a better position to make some great plays. They allowed the Vikings to get to him too often. (ninergirl60)

Overreaction: Yes and no.

Yes, the 49ers need to tighten it up in the passing game. The 49ers failed to make the Vikings pay for their aggressive scheme.

However, you might be surprised to hear that the 49ers’ offensive line was not as bad as the stat sheet indicates.

Six sacks is horrible, but there only were two sacks in which the offensive line was directly to blame.

And both of those plays occurred through the left side of the 49ers’ offensive line.

Vikings defensive end Pat Jones got a good push against left tackle Trent Williams midway through the third quarter and dropped Purdy for a 7-yard loss.

On that same drive, linebacker Blake Cashman found his way between Williams and left guard Aaron Banks for a 6-yard sack.

The Vikings got home at least a couple of times on coverage sacks when Purdy did not get rid of the ball. There was another sack in which Purdy was well-protected. The ball slipped out of his hand for a fumble as he was throwing, and that is considered a sack.

The 49ers’ receivers need to do a better job of getting open quicker. This is an area the organization was hoping to improve with the selection of Ricky Pearsall in the first round of the draft.

Pearsall continues to make big strides in his recovery from a gunshot wound. He is eligible to come off the non-football injury list after Week 4.

If Hufunga is out for too long, D will give up more and more big plays. (marc.bricault10)

Overreaction: No.

Talanoa Hufanga was an All-Pro selection in 2022, and the 49ers need to get him back on the field.

The 49ers are strong at cornerback with Deommodore Lenoir and Charvarius Ward. But the safeties had a rough game against the Vikings.

George Odum and Ji’Ayir Brown were beaten on Justin Jefferson’s 97-yard touchdown pass from Sam Darnold.

Yes, Jefferson is widely considered the best receiver in the game, but still. . .

The 49ers called a blitz. The Vikings blocked it up well enough to allow Darnold to set his feet and deliver the pass 50 yards down the field.

In the second half, rookie Malik Mustapha replaced Odum. Whenever Hufanga is ready to return, he will be back in the lineup.

Hufanga, who underwent surgery to repair his torn ACL in November, might experience some issues upon his return. He eventually will be a definite upgrade over the team’s current situation at safety, but it also might take him a couple weeks to get back up to speed.

Trent Williams and BA holdouts showing the rust built up when players don’t show up when scheduled (officialfelipemontalvo)

Overreaction: No.

Williams played exceedingly well in Week 1. He did not show any signs of his contract holdout against the New York Jets.

But that was not the case on Sunday. Perhaps his absence from camp had something to do with it, as the communication seemed more than a little spotty.

Aiyuk has not gotten off to a great start, and that’s completely understandable, too. He earned the big-money contract with his breakout season in 2023, during which he averaged 84 yards receiving per game.

Through two games, Aiyuk has six receptions for just 71 yards.

Of course, both players achieved what they wanted from how they handled their contract situations. But there is no doubt we’re witnessing the downside. Aiyuk in particular shows signs of rust.

Defensive line has names but no results, hardly any pressure. (arvinds_19)

Overreaction: No.

The 49ers’ defensive line did not get after Darnold to force him into mistakes.

Nick Bosa registered two sacks, but he did not supply the kind of consistent pressure for which he is known.

On the other side, Leonard Floyd had no impact on the game. He did not generate any sacks, hits or hurries on Darnold on his 19 pass-rush attempts. Yetur Gross-Matos made his 49ers debut and had three pressures.

The 49ers need to get more from Floyd and Javon Hargrave in order for the defense to get off the field on third downs.

Darnold looked like an All-Pro against the 49ers, as the Vikings converted 7 of 12 (58.3 percent) third-down opportunities.

Niners need an upgrade from Shanahan. He’s not a head coach, just a very average OC who can’t get out of his way in the red zone. Seriously, when was the last time he looked up from his play sheet during a game? That’s NOT a head coach. Niners need a real head coach. (dcwriter11769)

Overreaction: Yes.

Oh, come on.

Kyle Shanahan has not won a Super Bowl. That’s the hole in his coaching record.

But he is widely considered one of the best head coaches in the NFL, and for good reason. He is one of the best offensive coaches and play-callers.

The 49ers’ performance against Minnesota does not change any of that.

I’m sure when Shanahan is shown on TV, he is looking at his sheet because he is the one relaying the play call to quarterback Brock Purdy. During the play, he is watching the coverages of the defense to gather information for his next call.

A little perspective is needed when it comes to criticism of the 49ers’ approach in the red zone.

The 49ers had the best red-zone offense in the NFL last season, scoring touchdowns on 68 percent of their trips inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.

But we fully understand every season is different. And through two games, the 49ers’ offense simply is not scoring enough touchdowns.

Christian McCaffrey scored 21 touchdowns last season, but the 49ers have to find a way to consistently get into the end zone without last year’s NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

Fans have every right to question the play-calling of Shanahan after this game. The 49ers did not have enough answers against the scheme of Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

But the bottom line is that any call that did not work was the wrong decision.

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