49ers talk “learning experience” and close officiating calls after loss to Browns
The 49ers suffered their first loss of the 2023 season, a 19-17 defeat Sunday in rainy Cleveland.
Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey both were ruled out for the game due to injuries, and Brock Purdy struggled without them, going 12-for-27 for 125 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
The offense stalled after a first-drive touchdown by McCaffrey on a shovel pass, rookie kicker Jake Moody went 1-for-3 on field-goal attempts (including a miss to win the game), and two late penalties on close calls harmed their chances of winning.
Here is what the 49ers had to say after the game:
Kyle Shanahan
On Moody’s missed kick to win the game:
It’s always tough to miss that last kick but that happens in football. They played better than us today. That was the last play, but there was a lot more to today than just that.
On the sequence before the kick:
Just trying to get more yards and letting it go down, and then we wanted to leave it there
On his message to the team:
My message to them was regardless of whether we hit that (FG) or not, there’s a lot of stuff in this game that we got to improve on. We made way too many mistakes, just losing a couple guys in the game, we had to switch a couple guys around and we weren’t quite ready for that, which starts with me with too many mistakes.
On missed chances:
We did some good things in the first half, we had two opportunities in the first half to get really big plays that I think would have changed a lot of it and we missed both of them.
On the offensive struggles:
It wasn’t just Brock, it was everybody. Everybody had their turn on offense, especially, and it starts with me.
On Tashaun Gipson’s penalty:
My view was his intent wasn’t at all to do that. It looked like the receiver was coming in there jumping, too. It looked like they touched helmets from where I was. I don’t have much of an opinion, it just didn’t look that violent.
On what makes the Browns’ defense good:
Talent with scheme. They got two corners that are really good, and actually got three. They got good pass rush, really good pass rushers, and it’s a really good scheme.
On whether he saw the close underhand pass/fumble call:
I did on the scoreboard, yeah. I thought it was a fumble. I thought he underhand threw it and I thought it came loose from his thumb and that’s why he just pushed it and the ball came out very unnaturally for a pass.
On drawing up plays without Samuel and McCaffrey:
It’s more about just getting all the guys ready for it. When you’ve got a gameplan that’s got enough stuff in it, but just moving some positions around. We just made too many mistakes.
On the defense:
They’re the reason we had a chance. Getting that turnover at the end, with (Deommodore Lenoir), helping us win the turnover battle. They’re the reason that we were in it at the end, but I also think they can do better than that, giving up over 300 yards and not finishing there at the end. But they’re the side of the ball that gave us a chance today.
On missing Dre Greenlaw:
You always miss your real good players. Dre’s one of the best players in this league. Oren (Burks) came in and did a real good job. Thought he had his best game last week, so I’ll see when I get on the plane, the film, but definitely don’t think that was the reason today.
On Randy Gregory’s game:
I’ll see when I watch the whole tape but I definitely saw him make some plays. I think he got a sack in there, got a TFL, so it was nice to see him in some action.
Nick Bosa
On the loss:
I think it’s a learning experience for us. We had a good idea that it was going to be that type of game, just scrappy til the end. Just an unbelievable defense and we needed to match their intensity and we let up too much, so definitely a learning experience of how teams are going to attack us. Especially teams who know our sche because they run a similar scheme … I don’t think we deserved to win today.
On the performance:
I think everybody on the defense could improve, including myself. It’s early. We haven’t lost in a long time in the regular season, so it hurts a little more.
On his late sack:
It was a good play by Wilks but we needed to adjust earlier and I don’t think we did that as a defense.
On the fumble/forward pass:
I didn’t get a great look at it. I did think in real time that it was a fumble, so a little surprise, but I didn’t see the replay.
On injuries:
The NFL season is really long. You’re going to have to deal with injuries. It happens to every team at certain points.
Fred Warner
On the loss:
The main thing is that I think they earned it, and we didn’t this game, and that’s what it came down to. I would never put it on Moody on the end there … I said that win or loss, I felt like we needed this game. We knew what type of game it was going to be. In order for us to be the team that we want to be moving forward, we need to get battle-tested. That’s exactly what today was.
On Gipson’s hit:
I didn’t see it. I was either in the rush or covering the opposite direction.
Trent Williams
On offensive struggles:
We played one of the better defenses in the league. They did a good job of getting us behind the chains on early downs. Once you get behind against guys, the pass rush, they have a front, you’re playing into their hands.
On his ankle injury:
It didn’t feel good at all. It’s football and I just tried to fight through it for my teammates. They got a Hall of Fame rusher over there in (Myles Garrett) and I wanted to get back out there so I could help my team.
On Garrett:
He’s one of the best in the world, so we battled. It was tough. We got a lot of respect for each other. He’s everything I thought he was gonna be.
On whether the regular-season loss is a shock to the system:
I wouldn’t say shocked. We bombed out. We didn’t get it at the end. You know, honestly, we probably didn’t deserve to win the game, but it’s a good learning experience.
On the pregame fight:
I don’t know what it was. They were already doing it when we came out, so I don’t know what was going on.
Brock Purdy
On learning:
It’s the NFL. You get opportunities, you gotta take advantage of them. So there’s definitely some throws and opportunities I feel like that were there for me and I missed on. That makes you behind the sticks and then you have to get a third down, which is tough on the road here.
On what broke down:
We started shooting ourselves in the foot with just little things — false starts and the operation of everything not being clean. Getting lined up and being ready to play. Those delay of games are on me, so there’s just the little things we got to clean up.
On the interceptions:
It was just a bad ball on my end. BA did a great job. He broke on whoever was guarding him and you had all the separation in the world to be able to lead him and convert the first down, so that was on me for sure.
On his play:
At the end of the day, man, I just feel like I didn’t play to the standard that I need to.
On the streak ending:
We were on that streak and all kind of stuff, but we don’t try to focus on the outcome. It’s more about being our best every play, every drive, every series and then it just falls into place. So for us, we feel like we failed our own expectations today in terms of playing our best.
On losing Samuel and McCaffrey to injury:
They’re playmakers — really good playmakers — and so it hurts, but at the same time, we got guys to be able to come in and make plays, so that’s on me, being able to help out guys like Ray Ray and JJ.
On what may have frustrated Shanahan:
The little things. The detail, the mindset coming in and being on point with our operation or plays, and for myself, there’s plays to be made. It wasn’t like there wasn’t any plays or anything open like that. There was guys open and so for me, I have to be better in that area. I could see just frustration probably from that. But we’re real, we’re all real with each other and we’re gonna get better from it.
Jake Moody
On his focus:
Hopefully I’ll have plenty more opportunities like that in my career. Obviously I want to make the next one. That’s all I’m focused on now, is the next kick, whether it’s a PAT, field goal, whatever it may be. That’s all I’m focused on is the next kick.
On the snap and hold on his missed kick at the end:
It was good. Real good. I knew there wouldn’t be an issue with that. They’re a great snapper and holder. Never had an issue with them. I wasn’t worried in the slightest. Sure enough, it was a perfect snap, perfect hold. Just didn’t hit it the way I wanted to.
On the kicking crew and his teammates’ support:
We work really hard together. We’ve had a million kicks. It’s not like we’re not practicing it. Obviously, we trust each other and have each other’s backs. For a guy that just got here, to have all my teammates telling me to keep my head up and givng me a high-five and a pat on the back, that was pretty cool, so I really appreciate all that. And them putting their trust in me to make a kick and not execute, but for everyone to have my back for a guy that just got there, that was pretty cool.
On whether there was an overcorrection from the first miss:
I wouldn’t really take back the first kick. I hit that pretty well. I guess I didn’t judge the wind correctly. But stuff like that happens. You have to move on and try to make the next kick. The last one, I didn’t hit it great. That also happens. Just unfortunate it happened then.
On whether being “iced” by a timeout impacts him:
It just resets my routine. It doesn’t really affect anything. I guess it makes me wait another 30 seconds to start my routine over again.
BRANDON AIYUK
On last-drive mindset:
Just put one drive together, despite what happened throughout the course of the game.
On Browns defense:
It’s a tough defense. They played hard. But I’ll say we had a chance to win at the end and we just didn’t capitalize, even though we should never have let it come down to the end.
On why Browns secondary is good:
I’ve got to watch tape.
On Brock’s composure:
Brock’s always pretty steady. We just didn’t capitalize. We didn’t play the football we know how to up until the end there, and it was too late.
On possible TD on his 25-yard catch?
I wish. (Jauan Jennings chimes in, “I did.”)
On pregame scuffle:
It’s just getting ready to play a football game.
On rough connections with Brock earlier:
Just not on point.
On Browns defense:
They came out ready to play. They threw a lot at us. They were on it. They came with energy.
On final drive words:
Just lock in.