San Francisco 49ers

Lack of Discipline in Week 13 Shows How Bad the 49ers Truly Are

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The San Francisco 49ers are a bad team in 2016. But this forgettable season was highlighted by a series of mental mistakes in the Niners’ ugly 26-6 defeat at the hands of the lowly Chicago Bears in Week 13.

In case you missed it, and no one blames you if you did, the San Francisco 49ers dropped their 11th consecutive game on Sunday to the Chicago Bears, falling 26-6 amid the snow flurries at Soldier Field.

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The score tells us almost everything we already know — this team is bad, very bad.

It would be one thing if the Niners simply lacked talent, which they do, but still played with heart and vigor over a full 60 minutes. A few bad teams do that. And those ones typically remain competitive.

We thought this was the 49ers’ case heading into Week 13. After all, San Francisco had some positive showings in recent weeks, especially on the road previously against the Miami Dolphins.

But then there was the Chicago game.

Head coach Chip Kelly typically doesn’t have a lot of penalties against his team. Yet the Niners were flagged 11 times for 106 yards versus the Bears. The previous week in Miami, San Francisco was called for seven penalties for 65 yards. Tack on a 10-penalty, 68-yard hit in Week 11 versus the New England Patriots, and it’s easy to see why there’s a problem here.

Celebrating a Non-Celebratory Moment

Almost every penalty is a knock against how disciplined a team can be. Sure, the occasional pass-interference call or false start can’t be avoided — and cornerback Tramaine Brock’s PI call was bogus –but the majority are a direct indication of how well coached a team is.

One play sticks out from Sunday.

Dec 4, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; The San Francisco 49ers run off the field after a recalled touchdown during the first half of the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports

The Bears were punting from their own 14-yard line, but running back Shaun Draughn managed to get his hands on the kick, which was recovered by cornerback Dontae Johnson.

Johnson tried to return it from the 29-yard line but stepped out of bounds at the four-yard line before getting into the end zone.

The only problem was Johnson didn’t realize it, and the team started to celebrate like crazy around him.

And rookie cornerback Rashard Robinson ended up taking the hit for an unsportsmanlike conduct call. So instead of starting the drive on Chicago’s four-yard line, the Niners were backed up to the 19-yard line instead.

The drive culminated in a field goal instead of a very-likely touchdown.

“We go over all of this and (it’s) not a disciplined play by us and we will re-emphasize what we have to do in terms of discipline and poise,” Kelly said, via Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area. “Play with emotion and not let emotion play us. I like when guys have emotion, but not when it jeopardizes us.”

It did.

No Room to Celebrate Anyway

Football is an emotional game, and the 49ers haven’t had too many reasons to get excited this season anyway.

So, perhaps, Johnson and Robinson’s celebratory acts can be understood to a point. Yet the Niners are still a 1-11 team riding a franchise-worst losing streak. And losing to the lowly Bears isn’t exactly a moment of pride.