SANTA CLARA – They’ve lost a game, lost another offensive star and lost any shot at the Lombardi Trophy. Scratch that last item. The 49ers (1-1) are just beginning, and here is our weekly look at their Super Bowl compass:
NEXT UP
Sunday, 1:25 p.m. at the Los Angeles Rams (0-2). This is the Rams’ home opener at SoFi Stadium after opening with road losses at Detroit (26-20) and Arizona (41-10). The 49ers look to go 5-0 in regular-season visits to SoFi Stadium.
LAST GAME
The 49ers were overwhelmed in the Minnesota Vikings’ home opener Sunday, losing 23-17 and never leading in one of the NFL’s loudest venues. Dooming the 49ers were a 97-yard touchdown catch by Justin Jefferson, after one of two failed fourth-down plays by Brock Purdy, and after the Vikings blocked a Mitch Wishnowsky punt. Linebacker Fred Warner created takeaways at the 49ers’ 10- and 2-yard lines to keep the 49ers close for a fourth-quarter comeback bid that fell short.
NFC WEST STANDINGS
The 49ers are out of first place for the first time since November 2022. The Seattle Seahawks are 2-0 under new coach Mike Macdonald. The Arizona Cardinals, by virtue of having a divisional win under their belt, have an edge over the 49ers in second place with 1-1 records. The Rams are 0-2 for the first time since returning from St. Louis in 2016.
NFC CHALLENGERS
If the season ended today (lol), the 49ers would not be among the NFC’s wild-card teams to defend their conference title. Leading the way at 2-0 are the New Orleans Saints, the Vikings, the Seahawks and the Bucs. The Eagles (1-1) lost to the Falcons (1-1) on Monday night as Kirk Cousins put together a game-winning drive.
THE REIGNING CHAMPS
For the second time in as many games, the Kansas City Chiefs won on the final play, this time using a field goal to beat the Bengals 26-25.
49ERS INJURIES
Deebo Samuel, a starting wide receiver and their No. 2 rushing option, sustained a calf injury late in Sunday’s loss and will miss a couple of weeks. Christian McCaffrey’s season debut delayed at least three more games on the Injured Reserve list, and it could be longer if his Achilles tendinitis isn’t cured by rest. Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall also must sit two more games on the Non-Football Injury List as he recovers from last month’s San Francisco shooting.
RAMS INJURIES
After losing Puka Nacua (knee) in the season opener, fellow wide receiver Cooper Kupp (ankle) got hurt Sunday, so the 49ers won’t have to cover Matthew Stafford’s top targets. All five of the Rams’ Week 1 starting offensive linemen have gotten hurt, and center Jonah Jackson will be out several weeks with a shoulder injury, which also is what will sideline safety John Johnson.
STAR TURN
Linebacker Fred Warner is not a new star. He was a unanimous All-Pro last season. But his game Sunday was an all-timer from which highlights will be pulled for his eventual Canton induction.
NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
Third-down efficiency wrecked both the 49ers’ offense (2-of-10) and defense (7-of-12) in Minnesota. Offensively, the 49ers need to avoid early-down penalties to make life easier for Purdy, who got sacked a career-high six times last game.
QUOTABLE
“Yeah, always when you lose real good players, it’s always tough. But it happens all over the league and it’s a huge part of this league and a huge part of this game. We’ve got to deal with it.” – 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan
“We’ve had some unfortunate breaks. It’s nothing like I’ve been exposed to. This is unique, but this is an opportunity for us to be what we say we want to be.” – Rams coach Sean McVay
COMPASS DIRECTION
Things have gone south. Injuries are bound to happen but scoring will be a challenge without McCaffrey and Samuel into October.