San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks fielded questions about his Week 8 game plan on Thursday. But first, he chose to address a call that stood out in the team’s 22-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on “Monday Night Football.”
The 54-year-old called an all-out blitz with Minnesota facing a third-and-6 at its 40 with no timeouts left late in the second half. It backfired as Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins found receiver Jordan Addison for a 60-yard touchdown to gain a 16-7 lead.
Wilks expressed regret in his opening statement Thursday, saying that he would’ve addressed it sooner but wanted to move on immediately after the game.
“I take full responsibility for that call,” he said. “I have to do a better job in putting the guys in a better position. We have good players. I know that and can’t really press the issue and with that moving forward, it’s my responsibility to do that. So I wish I could take it back, but again, I’ve got to do better.”
“I have to do a better job.”
Steve Wilks takes full responsibility for the zero-blitz call at the end of the first half against the Vikings pic.twitter.com/UIKRoNnI10
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) October 26, 2023
There are multiple reasons the call came under intense scrutiny. It came just after the Niners cut the lead from 10-0 to 10-7 with roughly a minute remaining in the half.
Wilks sent seven players in Cousin’s direction with single coverage on three receivers. Linebacker Fred Warner was dropping from the line to seemingly cover tight end T.J. Hockenson. But Hockenson was never a threat. Cousins clocked the incoming pressure before the snap went for the deep shot, he said.
It was the first time since Week 11 of the 2020 season that a team ran a all-out blitz with less than 30 seconds in a half on the opponent’s side of the 50, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.
Instead of San Francisco going into the second half with momentum, the Vikings scored on a pass that should’ve been intercepted. Head coach Kyle Shanahan was supportive of Wilks on Wednesday, noting that the call would’ve been fine if there hadn’t been 16 seconds left.
In most other situations, Minnesota wouldn’t likely have had time to get into the end zone before the clock expired.
It’s unclear whether or not Shanahan considered overruling the call. Defensive tackle Arik Armstead addressed it on his podcast, saying that the team still stands behind their defensive coordinator.
Wilks will have an opportunity to rebound on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. “We definitely have a challenge ahead of us,” he said.
Christine Lake is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. With an extensive background in sports journalism, he covers everything from major league championships to grassroots sports events. When she’s not on the field or at the stadium, you’ll find Christine coaching youth sports teams.
