Niner Noise
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49ers vs. Chargers: Breaking down the good, bad & ugly from Week 4

By Peter Panacy

CARSON, CA - SEPTEMBER 30: Quarterback C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers lies on the ground after throwing an interception at the end of the game against Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center on September 30, 2018 in Carson, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
CARSON, CA - SEPTEMBER 30: Quarterback C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers lies on the ground after throwing an interception at the end of the game against Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center on September 30, 2018 in Carson, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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CARSON, CA – SEPTEMBER 30: Quarterback C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers walks around the field after the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center on September 30, 2018 in Carson, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
CARSON, CA – SEPTEMBER 30: Quarterback C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers walks around the field after the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center on September 30, 2018 in Carson, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

Niner Noise takes a look at all the things good, bad and ugly from the San Francisco 49ers’ 29-27 Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, which was more than frustrating considering the Niners had their chances to pull off the upset.

Like many, I was convinced the San Francisco 49ers were going to lose and lose bad to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4 who, with a vastly superior roster, were considered 10-point favorites on the game, according to Odds Shark.

But on the Chargers’ opening drive, Niners defensive back Antone Exum picked off quarterback Philip Rivers and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown.

Two 49ers possessions later, quarterback C.J. Beathard hit wide receiver Kendrick Bourne for a two-yard touchdown, and bam! San Francisco was up 14-0. Upset in the making, right? After all, the Niners defense was playing invigorated and, at the time, wasn’t suffering from the all-too-frequent missed tackles and assignments that plagued the unit over the first three weeks of the season.

Well, so much for all of that.

The Niners ended up losing 29-27 in Week 4 — a game marked by injuries, turnovers, second-half defensive letdowns and more. And this loss goes down as yet another head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. could have pulled off if a few things had gone differently.

That seems to be the problem for San Francisco right now. With a roster still lacking talent on both sides of the ball, Shanahan’s squad can ill afford mistakes. Even with mistake-free football, the team is still going to have a tough time taking on even just average teams around the NFL.

With that as a backdrop, it’s time to break down all things good, bad and ugly from this Week 4 bout now that the 49ers find themselves 1-3 at the quarter mark of 2018.