GREEN BAY, Wisc. — There were no bright spots for the 49ers' defense in their 38-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, which is new territory for Fred Warner.
“This is probably one of the worst ones I’ve been a part of,” the linebacker said after the game. “It is embarrassing. You got to take it on the chin, take it like a man and move on.”
The 49ers' defense allowed a whopping 169 yards rushing by Josh Jacobs and the Packers' ground game, which is not a normal occurrence for the once-stingy unit. The group missed an uncharacteristic 10 tackles in the first quarter alone.
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“That’s just poor technique, poor execution, across the board,” Warner said. “We knew the challenge that their running backs gave us going into the game, and we just didn’t execute.”
Maybe more alarming than their poor tackling technique was the defense's lack of preparation, which allowed the Packers to grab a 17-0 lead in the first half that the 49ers wouldn't recover from.
“They presented different run looks than we had prepared for in the first half,” Warner said. “We adjusted as the game went on, which was helpful, but we got to be better from the jump.”
From execution to two consecutive 12-men-on-the-field penalties, the 49ers' defense could not get out of their own way. The Packers were able not only to put up 38 points, but also keep the 49ers' defense on the field for an exhausting 67 plays over nearly 37 minutes of possession.
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"Yeah, that’s about as bad as it can get,” Warner said. “Probably the worst I’ve been a part of, and even then it was still 17-7 to end the first half. Ten-point game and we had everything in front of us, we just didn’t make the plan we needed to.”
While the Packers' defense generated three takeaways, the 49ers could not muster any of their own, even when presented with opportunities. Malik Mustapha and Renardo Green had chances to turn the tables in the game but just could not manage to finish plays.
The 49ers departed to the Bay Area shortly after the game to regroup and figure out how to fix their issues before returning to the East Coast to face a 9-2 Buffalo Bills team. There should be a lot of introspective analysis in all aspects of game, and certainly by Warner himself.
“That’s something we got to look at when we get home because we can’t just keep doing the same things and expect a different result,” Warner said. “We got to be better and take a look individually first and as a group.”