There San Francisco 49ers did not open the season the way they anticipated, falling 24-16 to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. Despite four turnovers and a series of injuries, the 49ers remained within reach the entire contest.
Here are some of the notable postgame quotes from the 49ers locker room.
HC Kyle Shanahan on the injuries suffered against the Vikings:
"(Marquise) Goodwin (had a) quad contusion; he was out for a while. He came back for a couple of plays. He tried to go hard but it was tough for him to run and so he didn't end up going back out again after that. (Mike) Person and (Joshua) Garnett we're not sure. They're both going to have to get looked at more but definitely it was bad enough for them to come out and we'll see if they have a possibility for next week, tomorrow. Brock there at the end, I'm not exactly sure what it was but I know it was a head injury so I'd be assuming concussion or neck or sting or something.
Shanahan on the 49ers missed opportunities:
"You had a fumble on the one-yard line; I think that was third down. I'm sure we would have gone for it if we didn't get it. I thought we missed Kittle in the end zone on another third-down, the last one. I thought (Dante) Pettis made a great play on that touchdown. I thought Pierre (Garçon) came up and Jimmy (Garoppolo) gave him a chance there. I didn't see it clean. I know he went up for it and had a chance and I wish he would have come down with it. I think that was all of them."
QB Jimmy Garoppolo on escaping pressure for a 22-yard touchdown to Dante Pettis:
"I thought Dante, first of all, played great the whole day. For it being his first NFL game, I thought he played really well and stepped up. On that play, it was kind of a broken play, but Dante found the open area, and he is a smart athlete, he goes to where the ball takes him and made a tremendous catch on it."
Garoppolo's impression of the 49ers performance against the Vikings:
"They are a talented group, we knew that coming in to it. We knew it was going to be a tough challenge with the environment, going against a good team and they stood up to everything we thought they would. With all the things that went bad, we still had a shot at the end there. It's a tough way to end it."
T Mike McGlinchey on having to move to guard following injuries on the offensive line:
"I was a little shocked to hear that news, but that's what our team needed today. We had some injuries and guys went down, it was required of me to play guard for us, and that's what I tried to do. I tried to it to the best of my ability. I think I should have done it a little better than did it, but that's how it shakes out sometimes and hopefully we'll get it right and get things going for Detroit."
McGlinchey on the 49ers being competitive throughout the contest:
"The thing that we take away from it is that we had opportunities that we didn't capitalize on, and we're much more talented and capable team than what we showed today, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Those opportunities are going to continue to present themselves throughout the season, and we're going to continue to get better and continue to capitalize those, but today it wasn't enough. Today we had four shots in the red zone and only came away with field goals every time, and it's kind of tough."
CB Richard Sherman on the performance of the 49ers defense:
"We had our moments, there were a few plays that we would like to have back obviously. I think we played sound in moments, but I think we took too long to get comfortable out there. There were moments where we could have been sounder and more disciplined in order to get off the field. There was a third and long where we let Kirk Cousins run for it, and we have to have that. Those are plays that we covered and we've executed the play but we have to get off the field and they had a couple of those. Hats off to Kirk (Cousins) for being ingenuitive and making a play. But those are things we need to learn in the future and we'll be better for."
Sherman on how he physically progressed throughout the game:
"I felt fine, I feel fine. It's a mental game just as much as it's a physical game, and the concepts they were running were relatively simple. I put myself in a position to be successful; a lot of times I took my risks here and there where I had the opportunity to figure the plays out."
Sherman on Fred Warner's NFL debut:
"He's fine. Middle linebacker is one of the toughest positions to come in as a rookie and play and be effective. I think he did an admirable job."
DL DeForest Buckner on the 49ers losing by one score despite several turnovers:
"Definitely, also on the defense side, I know we had one turnover, we have to get more too. That comes with attacking the ball more and being more violent. We missed some opportunities out there to bring our offensive in to better position."
Buckner on Fred Warner handling and giving calls in the huddle:
"Fred did an amazing job today. He really communicated well with everybody, got the plays off quick. Gave us some really good close calls, for his first game he played very well."
TE George Kittle on facing the Vikings defense:
"It is a good defense, but we have a good offense. We have a great coach calling the plays. He is putting us in position to make those big plays and I think those are plays we need to make. If we make them it is a totally different outcome. Yes, they are a good defense, but I also think we're a good offense."
WR Dante Pettis on the potential of the 49ers offense:
"There is always something you can take away whether you win or lose. We can take away both good and bad things from today's game. If you look at how we played today and the fact that we still had a chance at the end, that tells you something about this team."
