Jerry Rice Criticizes 49ers’ Performance, Suggests Changes After Loss to Chiefs

Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice has expressed strong criticism of the San Francisco 49ers‘ recent performance, particularly after their 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Rice, who played for the 49ers from 1985 to 2000, shared his thoughts during an appearance on Bay Area radio station 95.7 The Game‘s ‘The Morning Roast.’

Rice was dismayed by the team’s effort, stating that it looked like the players were meeting for the first time. “Yesterday, it was like they were just meeting for the first time,” Rice said. “It was that first day of training camp. To see what happened yesterday—and we knew the importance of that football game, and we didn’t rise to the occasion.”

The 49ers’ receiving corps has been severely impacted by injuries, with Jauan Jennings sidelined due to a hip injury, Deebo Samuel limited by illness, and Brandon Aiyuk suffering a season-ending torn ACL in the first half of the game. Rice emphasized the need for the team to adapt their strategy, particularly against man coverage, which has been a challenge for the 49ers this season.

Rice suggested that the 49ers need to spread the defense out to create more passing lanes for quarterback Brock Purdy. “And then, I think Brock Purdy is going to have passing lanes where he can just process everything, and it doesn’t look so congested,” Rice advised. He also recommended that head coach Kyle Shanahan should incorporate more deep shots on the edges, as opposing defenses do not seem concerned about this threat from the 49ers offense.

Reflecting on the intensity of his playing days, Rice mentioned that such a poor performance would have led to significant reactions on the sidelines. “Back in the day, I’m gonna be honest with you, if we played like the way we played yesterday, we would have probably been swinging on each other on the sidelines,” Rice said. “We would have been fighting each other. That was not the Forty-Niner standard right there.”

Rice advocated for simplifying the offense to make Purdy more comfortable and to allow the players to perform at their best. He also suggested that the team might need to bring in additional veteran players to address the current injury issues. “There are still some veteran guys out there — like a DeAndre Hopkins, Mike Williams, Diontae Johnson and stuff like that,” Rice said.

Despite the criticism, Rice remains optimistic about the team’s potential to turn things around. “Things just didn’t happen yesterday, but I’m still going to stay positive,” Rice said. “They’ve got to somehow turn it back around, get a win against those Cowboys, which I hate those Cowboys. They’re coming to town, but we’ve got to get it.”