GREEN BAY, Wis. — Brandon Allen faced a tough challenge during his first start in nearly three years, as his teammates on the San Francisco 49ers struggled to step up in a significant way. The team now finds itself with a disappointing 5-6 record, last place in the NFC West.
Allen performed reasonably well while stepping in for the injured Brock Purdy, but a crucial mistake sealed the game—a fumble caused by Lukas Van Ness during a strip-sack in the fourth quarter of the 49ers’ 38-10 defeat against the Green Bay Packers. In a game where the regular starters needed to step up in Purdy’s absence, their performance was subpar. The lone bright spot for San Francisco came when Allen connected with tight end George Kittle for a 3-yard touchdown pass. Kittle praised Allen’s performance, stating, “I thought he played well. We just have to play better.”
To have a shot at the playoffs, the 49ers will need to elevate their game, especially as they deal with numerous injuries to key players. Currently, the squad struggles significantly without several notable stars. Purdy missed the game due to a shoulder injury, while three-time All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams sat out with an ankle injury. Four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Nick Bosa was absent due to a hip/oblique issue, and All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey appeared to be hampered by Achilles tendinitis.
Following the game, Coach Kyle Shanahan had no immediate updates on Purdy’s potential return for the next week’s game against the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills. “He’s been rehabbing the whole time here,” Shanahan noted. “I’m sure we’ll take him through some stuff early Monday and Tuesday and get a better idea then.”
Allen, who joined the 49ers a year ago, hadn’t previously thrown a pass for the team before Sunday’s game. His last start was in the Cincinnati Bengals’ final game of the 2021 season. Against the Packers, he completed 17 of 29 pass attempts for 199 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. He also struggled with ball security, fumbling twice and losing one. The interception occurred when the ball went through the hands of Deebo Samuel, setting up a turnover that Green Bay capitalized on.
The 49ers didn’t blame their injuries for the poor performance. Instead, they dealt with multiple mistakes, turning the ball over three times, incurring nine penalties, and missing an alarming 15 tackles during the first half. McCaffrey had a tough outing, managing only 31 yards on 11 carries and adding three receptions for 37 yards.
When asked to pinpoint what went wrong during the game, Shanahan commented on the overall performance, stating, “The whole game was. Just the first half, the run defense was just real disappointing. I thought we got out of our gaps a number of times. We had way too many missed tackles. Just them controlling that clock in the first half was one of the worst ones I’ve been a part of.”
The 49ers particularly struggled defensively against Josh Jacobs, who rushed for 106 yards and scored three touchdowns. He became the first player in 55 regular-season games to rush for over 100 yards against San Francisco, ending a streak that dated back to 1955. The last player to achieve this was Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears, who went for 103 yards against the Niners in October 2021.
By halftime, Jacobs had already amassed 91 yards on the ground. “That’s about as bad as it can get,” linebacker Fred Warner lamented regarding the opening half of the game.
As the Niners entered the second half trailing 17-7, they had an opportunity to regain momentum but were derailed by a critical holding penalty on Eric Saubert that nullified an 87-yard kickoff return from Samuel, which would have put them in prime scoring position. Following that, they ended up turning the ball over on downs at Green Bay’s 39-yard line. The team continued to struggle with turnovers, including interception and fumbles from both Allen and McCaffrey, allowing Green Bay to score in response to every turnover.
Despite the disheartening loss, the 49ers remain in contention for the NFC West title, only one game behind first place after Arizona’s loss to Seattle. McCaffrey highlighted the need to focus on improvement: “It’s one game at a time. Each day you’ve got to wake up, look yourself in the mirror, and get better, whether you win or lose. Speaking for me personally, that’s what I’m going to do.”