3 biggest underreactions to 49ers’ Week 3 road collapse vs. Rams

There are plenty of overreactions from the 49ers’ Week 3 road loss to the Rams, but these underreactions aren’t being discussed enough.

In what could be classified as one of the worst regular-season defeats for the San Francisco 49ers under head coach Kyle Shanahan, Week 3’s epic collapse against a banged-up Los Angeles Rams team revealed plenty of painful truths about where the Niners are at three weeks into the year.

There are plenty of problems to point out. Despite owning multiple double-digit leads throughout, and LA not leading in the game until the final two seconds, San Francisco found multiple ways to cough up the contest en route to a 1-2 record.

Yes, it’s easy to blame certain players. Kicker Jake Moody missed a clutch (but long) 55-yard field-goal try that could have iced the affair. Wide receiver Ronnie Bell dropped two very catchable passes, including a would-be first-down conversion that would have also iced the game. Linebackers De’Vondre Campbell and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles have been unimpressive and were largely liabilities against Los Angeles, too.

But, what about the game’s aspects that aren’t being discussed enough? What are the underreactions from Sunday’s debacle?

Let’s dive into those.

The Moody miss will highlight what went wrong on the overlooked-but-critical third phase of the game.

But it’s not the sole issue on special teams.

On the ensuing 49ers possession, following the Rams’ game-tying score, LA returned a punt by Mitch Wishnowsky 38 yards to get to the 50-yard line, helping set up what turned into Los Angeles’ game-winning field goal.

Through three weeks, the Niners are now worst in the league with an average of 17.3 punt-return yards allowed per game.

While the Rams get credit for converting a fake punt into a first down, San Francisco also failed to recognize the desperation its NFC West rivals would have after an 0-2 start to the season.

In back-to-back weeks now, special teams has been a massive liability, and coordinator Brian Schneider has to be feeling the pressure.

It’s easy to look at Bell and conclude he’s not part of the 49ers’ long-term plans on offense, especially after Sunday’s gaffes.

However, it’s understandable why the Niners had to turn to him, especially in light of wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Ricky Pearsall out with injuries. Simply put, San Francisco is thin at the position.

That said, Week 3 could have been a perfect opportunity for rookie wideout Jacob Cowing to make his presence felt, using his blazing speed to pull LA defenders further down the field in order to open up more opportunities for other 49ers weapons underneath.

Instead, Cowing saw precisely zero offensive snaps in Week 3 and hasn’t been on the field at all on offense for the Niners this season.

Why?

At this point, Bell needs to be bumped down the depth chart in favor of Cowing.

An under-discussed reason why San Francisco lost Week 3 is penalties.

Here’s a tough stat to acknowledge: The 49ers were flagged seven times for 111 yards, whereas Los Angeles committed eight times for 75 yards, a difference of 36 yards in LA’s favor.

Some argue that 100 penalty yards equate to seven points for the opponent, and it’s hard to disagree in light of Sunday’s outcome. Consider the 49ers were pound-for-pound favorites to beat their NFC West rivals, self-inflicted mistakes were one way the Niners could lose.

It’s not just a one-game problem either.

On the year, San Francisco’s penalty-yardage differential is minus-43, meaning Shanahan’s squad has taken 43 more penalty yards than its opponents over three weeks, and that ranking puts the 49ers ninth-worst in the league to date.

Good teams don’t beat themselves. The Niners are beating themselves, so make of that what you will.

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