15 observations from the 49ers' terrible, horrible, no good, very bad loss to the Chiefs

Christian McCaffrey's new teammates spoiled his debut with the 49ers. The trade that sent McCaffrey to San Francisco brought a great deal of energy to the team and the fanbase. And you could feel that enthusiasm early in Sunday's game. But it didn't last.

A second-half collapse and pathetic display from the offense, defense and special teams led to a blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.


To make matters worse, former 49ers' head coach, Jim Harbaugh, and many of the 2012 49ers were on hand, as the Super Bowl team from that season was being recognized. That had to be awkward. The coach you let go in the building to watch your current coach get dominated. If I'm Harbaugh and anywhere near Jed York, I'm letting loose the loudest throat-clearing "ahem" ever.

And if that wasn't enough, the loss (coupled with a Seattle win) puts the Seahawks in first place in the NFC West. Most people were saying they were dead. Actually, I was one of the few who thought they'd be decent this year. But I don't like to brag.

This game reminded me of Judith Viorst's, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, in which a boy named Alexander has the worst day ever. Nothing went right. Everything went wrong.

That's how my day went. And that's how the 49ers game went.

Here are the things that jumped out to me in this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad loss:

• The 49ers opened the game with a crisp drive. They were only able to come away with a field goal, though. The drive fell apart on the pitch to Deebo Samuel. Samuel wasn't much of a factor in this game, although he had a great first-quarter catch.
• McCaffrey looked good right out of the gate. He had two carries for 19 yards on the opening drive. Then he started the second quarter with a 13-yard reception and another first-down run.
• The 49ers' defense doesn't look quite right. Nick Bosa and Charvarius Ward returned from injuries and did not look good. Bosa lined up in the neutral zone on back-to-back plays. And Ward gave up multiple catches, some of which were big.
• Their defensive teammates didn't look much better.
• Ray-Ray McCloud had a great adjustment and catch for his first NFL touchdown. Overall, the wide receiver had a good game.
• Brandon Aiyuk is so quick…and smooth
• The 49ers had the ball, ready to score a touchdown to end the first half. A few bad play calls and a terrible Garoppolo throw later, and their chance to score disappeared.
• The 49ers' special teams unit is still horrible.
• Erin Andrews said Kyle Shanahan told her at halftime that he "loves the way his defense is playing." Really? Because I thought they were abysmal.
• There were too many missed tackles on defense, and the pass rush barely touched Patrick Mahomes. I guess we can assume DeMeco Ryans won't be leaving for a head coach job in 2023.
• Shanahan, the 49ers' offense, and the special teams unit have been bad for so long that they've started rubbing off on Ryans and the defense.

• Mike McGlinchey is terrible. He was called for two holding calls, gave up two sacks, and was thrown like he was a toddler on one play.
• Trent Williams wasn't much better. But I didn't see him get tossed.
• 10 penalties made things worse.
• Jeff Wilson, Jr. had 7.7 per carry. But he only ran the ball seven times. Go figure.

The 49ers head to Inglewood to play the Rams next Sunday. The Rams will be coming off of a bye. If the 49ers lose that game, which would be their third in a row, they will have dug themselves into yet another hole that will be difficult to get out of.

That might be enough to even make Alexander's day look not so bad.

More San Francisco 49ers News

• 49ers have learned to keep secrets, but is this a good thing?

  For years, the San Francisco 49ers had a reputation for being one of the easiest NFL teams to get information from. Not because the team was particularly transparent, but because information seemed to find its way out of the building. That changed in 2017. Since Kyle Shanahan...
  Read Article

• Christian Kirk injury gives 49ers' young wide receivers greater opportunity to make their mark in training camp

  The San Francisco 49ers entered the 2026 offseason with a very different look at wide receiver. The additions of veteran players Mike Evans and Christian Kirk gave the team two experienced weapons to pair with Ricky Pearsall, while also creating a much more crowded competition...
  Read Article

• Nick Bosa seriously doubts Joey Bosa will join the 49ers

  The San Francisco 49ers expect the return of defensive end Nick Bosa to provide a significant boost to a pass rush that managed an NFL-low 20 sacks last season. However, if the unit continues to struggle in 2026, many believe the team could explore adding another proven...
  Read Article

• 49ers coach Chris Foerster shares training camp updates

  San Francisco 49ers assistant head coach and offensive line coach Chris Foerster, who is serving as the team's interim head coach, spoke with reporters on Sunday following the first training camp practice. Here's everything he had to say. Transcript provided by the San...
  Read Article