The San Francisco 49ers are one of the most banged up teams in the entire NFL, but head coach Kyle Shanahan isn’t interested in excuses.
Despite a slew of health problems severely impacting some of the most prominent players on both sides of the ball, including quarterback Brock Purdy, tight end George Kittle, edge-rusher Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner, San Francisco managed to enter Week 8 with a 5-2 record and a chance to move to six wins ahead of the mid-season point with a road victory over the Houston Texans.
Instead, Houston’s top-ranked defense dominated the 49ers throughout the game, winning 26-15. In the aftermath of the loss, Shanahan called out his team and demanded a strong response over the coming week ahead of San Francisco’s trip to the Big Apple to take on the New York Giants.
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“They kicked our [expletive],” Shanahan said, per David Lombardi of The San Francisco Standard. “We’ve got to take it like men and come back — hopefully a little pissed off — and go to work and play better next week. The first half was unacceptable and the second half wasn’t much better.”
Lombardi pointed out that after the double-digit defeat on Sunday, the 49ers (5-3) actually have a negative point differential (-4) through eight games. While not a guarantee, that figure indicates that a regression in the win/loss column over the second half of the year is likely unless the team can perform better.
However, with as many injuries as San Francisco is dealing with, the best way to chase improvement is by adding healthy players via the trade market.
The 49ers have until Nov. 4 to do so and should be looking hardest at a pass-rusher who can help create splash plays on defense. Even absent sacks that create yardage losses or contribute to turnovers, pressure on opposing QBs helps the secondary by cutting down on the time pass-catchers have to develop their routes.
Some players potentially on the market are Jaelan Phillips of the Miami Dolphins and Jermaine Johnson of the New York Jets. It is also possible that Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals could be available if the team loses to the Chicago Bears next week and falls to 3-6 ahead of the trade deadline.
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