San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan kept it simple after the preseason loss to the Broncos.
“It Was Frustrating”: Kyle Shanahan Didn't Sugarcoat His Words After 49ers' Loss originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The San Francisco 49ers began their NFL preseason slate with an ugly 30-9 loss against the Denver Broncos in Santa Clara. The 49ers scored all nine points in the first quarter, but it was all Broncos from that point on.
Although it was the first preseason game and many starters didn't suit up, it still wasn't the result head coach Kyle Shanahan was looking for.
After the game, Shanahan was honest as can be and let out his frustration.
49ers' Kyle Shanahan Frustrated After Preseason Loss
In the postgame press conference, Shanahan didn't sugarcoat the performance one bit.
“It was frustrating," Shanahan said via KNBR. "I liked how we started out, but after that, there wasn’t much to be excited about. We didn’t get many first downs, four turnovers, the three picks, the fumble…We made too many mistakes. It was frustrating."
Patrick Taylor Jr. put the 49ers on the board early with a touchdown on the first drive of the game. But, nothing else went San Francisco's way, as Shanahan noted.
All three of the 49ers quarterbacks threw an interception: Mac Jones, Tanner Mordecai and Carter Bradley.
Running back Ameer Abdullah lost a fumble, and Mordecai had another fumble, although SF recovered it.
The Broncos also outperformed the 49ers in every major offensive category, making for a less encouraging output.
49ers Will Look to Bounce Back in Week 2
Sure, it's the preseason, but playing this poorly sure didn't have Shanahan thrilled.
The quarterback play as a whole was not encouraging, and here is how all three of them performed:
- Mac Jones: 4-of-7, 74 yards, one interception, sacked twice
- Carter Bradley: 6-of-14, 32 yards, one interception
- Tanner Mordecai: 3-of-6, 21 yards, one interception, sacked once
Although Brock Purdy is entrenched as the 49ers' QB1, none of the backups flashed much promise on Saturday night.
All in all, the 49ers will have a chance to bounce back in the second preseason game when they face the Las Vegas Raiders on the road next Saturday.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Football
