The San Francisco 49ers fell 27-7 to the Indianapolis Colts at home on Sunday. After the game the 49ers players sounded embarrassed with the effort they put on the field.
When San Francisco got drubbed 29-3 by the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle , no one seemed that concerned. It’s Seattle! No team has louder home fans and a better home field advantage. The Seahawks have won 10 straight at home and feature the best defense in the NFL.
The 49ers have no excuses for their performance against Indianapolis on Sunday. They were 10-point favorites and Harbaugh had never lost back to back games as an NFL head coach.
The Colts dominated every aspect of the game while San Francisco flat-lined. Colin Kaepernick completed 13 of 27 passed for 150 yards and one interception. He looks nothing like the quarterback that torched Green Bay for 412 yards in the season opener.
After the game the 49ers players hung their head with shame and embarrassment when talking to reporters. Donte Whitner summed the game up the best, “It’s okay to be where you’re supposed to be to do your job, but that passion is what makes the 49ers defense. We need to capture that passion really, really quick.”
Cornerback Tarrell Brown added, “We felt flat. We felt flat and looked flat.” Not the words any fan wants to hear from a team that was just in the Super Bowl.
The offensive players weren’t as open with their self-critiques. Kaepernick offered the standard, “we didn’t execute” sound bite, while Frank Gore said he has to “watch the tape.” Gore reportedly had “choice” words for Harbaugh after the game though .
Now the 49ers have a short week to fix a number of problems. The defense is racking penalties like the Oakland Raiders used to, while The offense rivals the Jaguars in lack of execution.
The 49ers players should be embarrassed. Now they need to turn their self-loathing into anger and bring back the passion they’ve lacked the last two games. Right now the panic meter is at a seven. If they lose Thursday to the Rams it will be a full blown 10.
[image via Wikimedia Commons ]