The San Francisco 49ers are showing some serious cracks in the armor after suffering their second-straight loss.
The Minnesota Vikings shocked the NFL by toasting the 49ers' defense and adding to the question marks around Brock Purdy and the San Francisco offense.
The 22-17 loss has to result in some blame game for the 49ers, who need more from their star players to get out of this slump.
So who is at fault for the performance on Monday Night Football?
3. Brock Purdy
Purdy is the subject of much debate in the NFL these days. Is he an elite quarterback? Is he a system quarterback? How much credit does he deserve for the 49ers' success on offense?
Monday Night Football didn't really help his legacy.
Purdy had two interceptions in the fourth quarter with the 49ers trailing by five, driving into Minnesota territory and in need of a touchdown. The first one to Camryn Bynum was costly but the quarterback got a chance to make things right with one final drive. He got the 49ers to the Minnesota 40 and again airmailed the ball to Bynum.
To be fair to Purdy, he was playing without Trent Williams protecting him or Deebo Samuel to make plays. He wasn't helped by Christian McCaffrey's fumble in the red zone.
Still Purdy faces skepticism because people aren't certain he can elevate the 49ers when they need him to do more than just be a game manager. His inability to do so on Monday night doesn't mean he's a bad quarterback, but he got outplayed by Kirk Cousins.
2. Nick Bosa
The difference between Nick Bosa and Brock Purdy is the 49ers pay Purdy to manage the game while they pay Bosa to change the game. That's why Bosa bears more responsibility for the result on Monday Night Football.
The 49ers had no sacks against Kirk Cousins. They let him navigate the pocket and make the throws that put the Vikings out in front. Primetime Cousins was primetime because the SF defensive front let him be.
Bosa needed to impose his will on the game. He needed to make an impact. He was essentially neutralized with five tackles and one tackle for loss. There isn't an NFL offense that wouldn't sign up for that stat line for Bosa going into any game they had to face him.
And this isn't just a one-night issue. Bosa hasn't generated the pass rush the 49ers have needed from him in general this season. This time last year, Bosa had seven sacks. In seven games in 2023, he has 2.5. The Vikings came into Sunday's game averaging 2.5 sacks allowed.
1. Charvarius Ward
Charvarius Ward picked off Kirk Cousins on the third play of the game. So it speaks to the rapid deterioration of his game that he's in this position.
Ward may have beaten Jordan Addison on that play but he got cooked for the remainder of the game
Addison paid Ward back directly for his interception by stealing another out of his arms and housing it 60 yards just before halftime. The Vikings rookie, going against Ward for much of the night, had seven catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
Along with giving up plays to Addison, Ward committed two illegal contact penalties to help keep the Vikings' offense moving.
Ward was just one example of a player on defense who gave Minnesota exactly what they needed to come away with an upset win.
The defensive performance wasn't good enough across the board on a night when the 49ers offense was without Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams. Giving up a season-high 378 passing yards to Cousins when he didn't even have Justin Jefferson to throw to is unimaginable for an SF defense that prides itself on being one of the best in the league.
