SANTA CLARA -- After two straight losses where the 49ers' defense played well below its typical standards -- and following one very controversial blitz call -- first-year defensive coordinator Steve Wilks had plenty to prove in Week 8 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
But instead of a bounce-back performance from the unit, quarterback Joe Burrow served San Francisco a 31-17 defeat after completing 28 of 32 pass attempts for 283 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions on Sunday in front of a frustrated Levi's Stadium crowd.
Following yet another lackluster performance from a defense stacked with stars, however, the 49ers aren't placing any of the blame on Wilks despite plenty of people outside the building pointing the finger at San Francisco's new DC.
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"This isn’t on any one coach or any one side of the ball," coach Kyle Shanahan said after the loss. "We haven’t scored over 20 points in three weeks here, too, so I think our defense needs to do better, I think our offense needs to do better, I think our team needs to do better. When I say our team, I mean every single player and I mean every single coach."
The decision by Wilks to call a zero blitz against the Vikings last Monday proved catastrophic, leading to a 60-yard touchdown by Minnesota that ultimately was the difference in the game and produced plenty of chatter about the defensive scheme. Wilks called far fewer blitzes against the Bengals on Sunday, however, and the 49ers still lost, Shanahan pointed out.
"Whether we blitz or whether we don’t blitz, what do we do throughout the game?" Shanahan said. "We’ve got to [play] sound football. You’ve got to make the plays; you can’t give that much space, and you’ve got to get to that quarterback. When you don’t get to that quarterback, you’ve got to make tackles. And we didn’t do any of that stuff today, so it’s not just because of a call here and there or a style. It’s a little bit of everything."
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Defensive stalwarts Talanoa Hufanga and Fred Warner also went to bat for Wilks after the loss, placing blame on themselves for not executing plays when they were called.
"Nothing's on the coach," Hufanga said in the locker room after the game. "You know, honestly, he says a call, we got to play it, we got to bring the call to life. And so, for us, we just got to go out there and execute. I think it's just repetitive. I'm sorry that I'm saying it over and over, but you can never put this on coaches because at the end of the day, we got to go out there and make the call come to life."
Warner reiterated Hufanga's statement during his own postgame availability at the podium, but also admitted there always will be rough spots in a season featuring a new coordinator on either side of the ball. That typical adjustment period has been exacerbated by missed tackles and coverage struggles far outside the norm for this defense in recent weeks.
"Yeah, that's the least of my worries," Warner said when asked his thoughts on how Wilks has done so far. "Honestly, I think players win games, not coaches. I think he's done a great job. I think right now the issue is -- I mean, there's going to be ebbs and flows in the season, especially with a new defensive coordinator. I think the offensive side has gone through that as well when we lost [former 49ers offensive coordinator Mike] McDaniel. Even though Kyle is a play-caller, when you lose a coach, there's going to be adjustments being made throughout the season.
"So we've got to continue to work on that, but at the end of the day, players are going to be the reason why we win games. We've got to execute at a higher level, player-wise."
Wilks himself said this week that he's adjusting to his new job with a new team after 17 years of doing his "own thing" as a coach. And, to be fair, former 49ers DCs Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans are tough acts to follow, as made evident by their ascension to head-coaching roles after their roaring success with San Francisco.
But Wilks is in charge of a defense with All-Pros at every level, and a defensive line that is paid handsomely for its contributions. While the unit out-sacked Cincinnati on Sunday 3-2, Burrow still erupted for a career-high plus-17.8 completion percentage over expected and went 8-for-9 with two touchdowns on passes of 10 or more air yards, per Next Gen Stats.
After Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins sliced and diced his way to a win in Week 7, Burrow did the same thing to a confident 49ers defense in Week 8.
There's plenty for Shanahan, Wilks and the rest of the 49ers to mull over as they head into their Week 9 bye on a three-game losing streak. After another deflating defeat, the team has made one thing very clear: Just as they win together, they lose together -- and that's the type of chemistry that can help any group overcome adversity.
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