The San Francisco 49ers“The 2024 season did not go according to plan.”
After a trip to Super Bowl LVIII and a bitter loss last season, hopes were high that the 49ers could take another step toward a Super Bowl championship this season and seal the deal.
After an embarrassing 38:10 defeat at the Green Bay Packers As of Week 12, the 49ers' record is now 5-6 and San Francisco is in danger of missing the playoffs altogether.
With frustration mounting, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked Wednesday how he would respond to the criticism and how he would evaluate his professional performance so far this season.
“It’s up to you guys to rate me,” Shanahan said. “I'm working as hard as I can to get a win this week and we didn't win as much as I think we should have won. We lost three games that I think we could have won and should have won. These are the ones who are the hardest.
“As far as self-grading goes, I’m not going to grade myself. I will work as hard as I can. I'm the same guy I am now, who I always was. We need to overcome some of the things we are in right now. I believe we can overcome it, but we are putting ourselves in a difficult position and that is why we have to be extremely good and successful here in the future to overcome this challenge.”
When asked about the current mood within his team, Shanahan replied that things continue to be tight in the 49ers' locker room.
However, the eighth-year head coach is aware of the criticism that could exist outside the 49ers building and discussed the importance of his group not living online.
“The atmosphere in our locker room is exactly what you would imagine,” Shanahan said. “We’re upset about where we’re at on our record, but we’re a tight group and we play together. I think if you live in the world online, whether you're dealing with our profession or whether the kids are dealing with social issues at school, you're not going to be happy when you're dealing with the world online.
“And I've definitely trained long enough that I have no place in this world. I just watch movies online, rap battles and funny things animals do. Good or bad. When you hear good things, something like that will mess you up more than anything else. And then when you hear bad things, it will crush you. That's not why any of us do this. You have to work with younger people on this. I think it's harder just because of the world they grew up in. But don't make someone else's reality your reality. You have to concentrate on your job and never step away from it.”
Perceptions in the NFL can change suddenly. With San Francisco in the midst of its second two-game losing streak this season, a win on Sunday night would dramatically change the narrative around this team in a positive direction.
San Francisco travels to buffalo (9-2) on Sunday, December 1, kickoff is scheduled for 5:20 p.m. PT and the game will be broadcast on NBC and streamed on Peacock. The 49ers are currently one game out of first place in the NFC West.
In San Francisco's latest injury updateStarting quarterback Brock Purdy was listed as a limited participant. Purdy did not play in the 49ers' Week 12 loss to the Packers.
