Jerry Rice believes the 49ers lacked competitive fire in their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
Speaking Monday on 95.7 The Game’s “The Morning Roast,” the San Francisco legend explained how he could tell the 49ers were in trouble before the game even started.
“I look at body language,” Rice said. “Before a game, the opponent, the home team, stuff like that. I just felt like we were not fired up for that game. And it showed. It’s like, you get the ball and I want to see an offense sprinting to the field saying, ‘Hey, let’s go,’ and I’m just watching guys move really slow.
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“And it showed, I thought they didn’t execute well, they did not have that fire. And with [Kansas City], they just had the confidence.”
While San Francisco’s defense kept Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs' offense in check for most of the game, a sloppy performance by Brock Purdy and the offense doomed the 49ers in a 28-18 loss. For Rice, the poor showing from the team was hard to watch given the stakes.
“[The loss against the Chiefs] really disturbed me,” Rice said. “Because we had an opponent that had kicked our butts twice in the Super Bowl and then to come into our house the way they did and to win this one and walk out of there.”
The defeat dropped the 49ers to 3-4 on the season, putting the team in a perilous spot as injuries continue to mount for a franchise that had Super Bowl aspirations to start the year. While superstar running back Christian McCaffrey is inching closer to a return, it might not matter if the team continues its uneven play.
San Francisco 49ers
Now with a primetime "Sunday Night Football" matchup with the Dallas Cowboys looming, the 49ers will have to right the ship quickly to avoid falling out of playoff contention.
For San Francisco to get back on track, it will have to play with a bit more intensity and passion with the season on the line.