Head Coach Kyle Shanahan Postgame Press Conference

(Opening statement…) [Demetrius] Flannigan-Fowles had a hamstring [injury] and didn’t return; Tevin Coleman, knee, didn’t return; Dante Pettis, shoulder, didn’t return; [Jimmy] Garoppolo, ankle, didn’t return; [George] Kittle, foot, didn’t return; Fred Warner had a stinger but did return.

(On the third down wildcat play early in the game…) It’s installed because it’s a good play. They got us in an all out blitz. I liked the call there when I made it, but I was hoping that we would have two downs. I think it was 3rd and 7 or 3rd and 8, we were out of field goal range, I thought that would at least get us into field goal range with the possibility of having a second play, but when you lose yards on it, then it was over. They didn’t have a good look, [Jerick McKinnon] had no chance, they zeroed in on us on it.

(On Kittle’s injury and if Jordan Reed will be available in the next game…) With Kittle, nothing was broken, at least on the X-rays. We need to check MRIs and stuff tomorrow. Hoping for Jordan Reed this week, but I’m not sure right now.

(On Jimmy Garoppolo’s play being altered by his ankle and the status of his ankle now…) You can ask him on the ankle. I know it was hurt once we all saw and he didn’t go back in on that one play. But he had a good week of practice throwing the ball, but high ankle sprains linger so you never know when it’s going to affect you. I know he hurt it later in the game, or re-hurt it, and we’ll wait until tomorrow to see how bad it is.

(On his level of confidence in the offense without Deebo Samuel and where they go without him going forward…) We have a lot of confidence in our offense no matter who’s out there. You have to play well to have a good game and I don’t think we played very well today. It started with me. I made a few too many mistakes. We got it going there a little bit in the fourth quarter, but I don’t think we played well as a group. When you’re missing a good player like Deebo, always it’s a struggle, but we’ve missed players a number of times and it’s no reason to go out there and not play well.

(On how he would assess Jimmy Garoppolo’s play…) I was frustrated with the whole offense. Starting with myself, this wasn’t a very good day for us. I thought the defense came out and played pretty inspired in those first couple of drives and gave us a chance to get up on them and we missed those opportunities. I thought the third down call didn’t give us a chance versus [an] all out [blitz]. We needed to do a little bit better before that, we would’ve loved to go for it on fourth down, but not after we lose it. But it was both times the defense got us a chance and we didn’t come out with anything worth it. Right when we get it around the 50 [yard line] too. I was disappointed with the whole group. No one played great. That always starts with me, but I’m glad we have a game coming up soon so we can turn the page pretty quick and get ready for Green Bay.

(On if he’s critical of his play calling on some of the trick plays that didn’t work or on other plays…) I look at everything. Every single play. The screen to Trent Taylor, we’ve hit a bunch but the [defensive] linemen did a good job working through the [offensive] line. I wouldn’t consider the wildcat a tricky play, it’s just a power handoff and it’s not very good versus all out. You don’t want to run any run there against all out. That’s stuff that we’ve done a number of times in third and long in the 40 yard area to try and get two plays, either to go for it or kick a long field goal. You’re trying to hit some big plays and we missed those opportunities early and didn’t get much of the run game going. We tried to get it going. I thought we committed to it pretty well in the first half, but when you don’t get any big plays in the run game, and then you make some of those mistakes, you guys saw what happens. Eventually we had to get away from it and start throwing.

(On if Jimmy Ward could’ve tried to hit Russell Wilson differently to avoid the penalty…) No, I mean you can just give him the first down which happens a ton because guys are scared as can be to get those penalties. They’re not trying to be cheap and they’re not trying to get fined. It’s a big point in the game if they get a first down, it’s pretty much over and they’re right there at the sticks. He is very good at what he did, waiting until the last second. It’s just a huge challenge that not just our team has, the whole NFL has that. It’s a tough play and I understand why we do it, you have to protect the quarterback and protect everyone, but it’s very tough for our guys. I thought they tried to hold on as well as they can.

(On why George Kittle wasn’t more involved in the game…) I think he is. But sometimes you don’t get the ball to him. There’s never a time that we ignore Kittle, but coverages, fronts, all that stuff plays into it. I don’t think anyone had very big stats in the first half, that’s usually what happens when you’re not doing very well.

(On how Seattle was able to get more pressure on the quarterback today…) They brought a lot of blitzes and when they brought them early, I thought we had some chances. Usually when they bring a blitz, it’s pretty hit or miss. It’s going to be a good play for one team and a bad play for the other team. I thought we had a chance to get rid of it a couple of times and they just got to us too fast and we didn’t make them pay for it. We did a little bit there at the end, but obviously that was too late. A couple things inside they got on us too quick, I think one time we had a chance to get rid of it and we had a little bit of a high snap so we couldn’t get rid of it. They were risky with a lot of their blitzes and sometimes you like that. You have to make them pay though and we didn’t. If we don’t make them pay for blitzes, guys are going to keep bringing it and it took us too long to make them pay.

(On if Tevin Coleman reinjured his same knee…) It was the same knee. He wanted to go back in, we tried, and he just couldn’t. I don’t know what the deal is for this week, obviously I’m hoping that he’s ready for Thursday, but his knee was reinjured and he couldn’t go back in the game.