We were expecting a close matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers. However, going into the game, we knew Brock Purdy, Nick Bosa, and Trent Williams weren’t playing, so there were bound to be some problems. Now, the Bay Area team has lost two games in a row, and this blowout 38-10 loss in Week 12 left Kyle Shanahan feeling one thing: “Embarrassed.”

To make things worse, the 49ers had three turnovers in the game, all of which led to opposing touchdowns. The Niners head coach was feeling down when he addressed the media after the game. But this isn’t where the woes stop because now, they have another injury to think about, and that’s the one their guard Aaron Banks suffered. More about that in a while.

By the end of the game, the 49ers head coach had mapped out his sources of discontent. Bad run defense, bad clock management, and a couple of missed tackles are what Shanahan thinks were the Achilles heels of his team in the defeat against the Cheeseheads. So, when asked what the biggest disappointment of the game was in the press conference, the head coach said, “The first half, just the run defense, was real disappointing. I thought we got out of our gaps a number of times.

“I thought we had way too many missed tackles. Just them being able to control that clock in the first half was one of the worst ones I’ve been a part of as far as a half.” With Brock Purdy out due to shoulder soreness, Brandon Allen took over quarterback duties. And while Purdy may have said he “believes” in Allen, the 32-year-old couldn’t quite get a hold of things throughout the game. But it wasn’t just the offense that was struggling. By the end of the second quarter, Green Bay was already in a commanding position, leading 17-0.

In fact, having been on the field for almost 25 minutes, the Niners managed to run only 6 offensive plays in that time. Shanahan’s team managed to get on the board with a touchdown (which was their only one in the game), scoring on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Allen to George Kittle with a minute remaining in the first half. While it may have seemed like the Bay Area franchise would continue that momentum in the third quarter, things didn’t go according to plan.

As Kyle Shanahan explained it, “I thought we stepped it up in the second half and did better, especially in the run game. The offense got an opportunity to get going. They gave us an opportunity to get back in the game. And then to have those three turnovers, that all three led to touchdowns with 21 points. You top that with the penalties and stuff, and that’s how you get embarrassed like that.”

The Niners were scoreless in the first and the last quarter, and there were times when they could have gone ahead. But midway through the third quarter, Brandon Allen was picked off by Xavier McKinney, who had a huge return on the pick (48 yards to the Niners’ 26-yard line), and that got Shanahan a bit irked.

On that note, let’s talk about the penalties that Kyle Shanahan mentioned. It looks like the Niners really need to curb the penalties that they are taking in. Deebo Samuel had a massive kickoff return, but that was ruled out because of a holding call. Had that not happened, the Bay Area team would have been in a respectable position to compete with the Packers. But that wasn’t the only faux pas on San Francisco’s end.

The defense allowed 169 rushing yards, too. Astonishingly, 106 of those rushing yards came from Josh Jacobs, who also happened to score a career-high 3 touchdowns. That’s “embarrassing” for a team that played Super Bowl last year. Coming back to Shanahan’s comments, the turnovers ruined the 49ers‘ chances to advance further in the game.

One of the turnovers came from Brandon Allen’s fumble in the fourth quarter. The Packers just punched the ball out of Allen’s hands and took possession. Another disappointing fumble came in the fourth quarter, but this time, on a pass to Christian McCaffrey (this is the third game the 49ers running back has played this season after returning from his bilateral Achilles injury). The third turnover came on a tipped pass to Deebo Samuel.

In the absence of key players like Bosa, Williams, and Purdy, Kyle Shanahan expected the team to step up to the challenge. But that didn’t happen. Reflecting on the game, he added, “We really didn’t play good enough… When you’re missing some guys, you do have to be better, and when you have those penalties, we didn’t stop the run like we did, and have those three turnovers in the second half… that’s how you get embarrassed.” 

This isn’t the 49ers that we’re used to seeing. The team just can’t catch a break, and now, they’re 5-6 this season, making the playoffs a distant dream. To add to their woes, the squad added another player to their injured list: Aaron Banks.

Kyle Shanahan shared more disappointing news

The 49ers head coach started the press conference with the list of injuries in the locker room, one of which was, “Aaron Banks left with a concussion.” He will now have to pass the league’s concussion protocol before he can be cleared to play in the game against the Bills. If Banks can’t start against the Bills, the Niners would have to sub Spencer Burford in his place. There was one more concussion that occurred in the game.

Jordan Elliott, the Niners defensive tackle, also had the wind knocked out of him, unfortunately. He was sidelined for the rest of the game after leaving in the second quarter. Kalia Davis, Maliek Collins, Leonard Floyd, Yetur Gross-Matson, and Robert Beal Jr. will have to manage in his absence.

The loss has been traumatizing for the 49ers and that became evident after Deebo Samuel declined to speak to the media after the game. With this loss at Lambeau Field, the San Francisco team has slipped to 5-6, and if their star players don’t return soon, they might be in more trouble than they might have bargained for, missing the playoffs being one of them.