The San Francisco 49ers fell to the Minnesota Vikings 22-17 on Monday, handing them their second straight loss, not to mention major concerns going forward.
While many still consider them legitimate Super Bowl contenders, their once-vaunted defense now looks vulnerable.
There was no action in their pass rush on Monday, and their secondary has looked increasingly vulnerable of late.
On one play late in the second quarter, the Niners had a huge drive, and when Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins threw a pass to rookie Jordan Addison, their quarterback was undersized and gave Addison a 60-yard touchdown.
Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks was criticized for the nollablitz decision, prompting head coach Kyle Shanahan to publicly comment that Wilks messed up, but James Jones said on Fox Sports 1’s “Speak” that Shanahan was guilty of “giving the benefit of the doubt” to others.
Wilks is in his first season as San Francisco’s defensive coordinator, a position that was held by DeMeco Ryans the previous two seasons.
Defense has been their calling card for a while now, and last season, they were unquestionably the NFL’s best defensive team as they reached the NFC Championship Game for the third time in four seasons.
As long as second-year quarterback Brock Purdy is the real deal (he threw two late interceptions versus the Vikings), the time is now for the Niners to finally win their sixth Super Bowl championship.
Barring injury, they have run out of excuses, and their fan base has grown restless for them to make good on their Quest For Six.
