Deebo Samuel and 2 more 49ers who deserve to be benched after pathetic showing vs. Packers

The San Francisco 49ers fell to 5-6 and last place in the NFC West with a blowout 38-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon. Not much went right for the reigning NFC champs, who were unable to power through an onslaught of key injuries.

That has been the theme of San Francisco's season to date. Injuries have played a prominent role in this slower-than-expected start. That said, even with Brock Purdy, Nick Bosa, Charvarius Ward, and Trent Williams all inactive, there's no excuse for the malaise that defined San Francisco's performance in Green Bay. There's a distinct difference between being outmanned and outplayed; the Niners were both on Sunday.

San Francisco is running out of time to turn this season around. The playoffs are still within reach and it's too early to count out such a talented group, but it has been an extremely frustrating season for the Niners. It's starting to boil over, especially in the fandom. The Niners have the pieces to mount a run, but if the players aren't connected enough, and if the coaches can't coax out sharper performances, that talent won't matter much. Obviously, a bit of better health would help, too.

Now below .500 on the season, here are the Niners who earned a ticket to the bench with Sunday's stinker.

3. Jake Brendel has been a constant thorn in 49ers' side

Jake Brendel continues to frustrate the Niners fandom with his performance at center. The O-line in general has been a disappointment this season, but the man in the middle has been particularly fickle against quality pass rushes. Brendel missed several blocks on Sunday and contributed to San Francisco's abysmal nine penalties. He also is responsible for one of the greatest photos of the NFL season — unless you're a Niners fan.

Not ideal. The effort and engagement from Brendel just isn't up to snuff. He's in the middle of San Francisco's O-line — a seven-year NFL vet with 47 starts under his belt — and the man looks completely lost. The Niners have benefitted, obviously, from Christian McCaffrey's return, but this offense has a hard enough time functioning without so many key pieces. It becomes borderline impossible if Brendel is allowing a constant stream of pressure up the gullet.

There are more folks worthy of blame, of course, but I'm not sure there's a single individual Niner who has more consistently upset the fanbase this season than Brendel. He's at the center, literally, of every play that gets run, but his technique and effort on the blocking front continues to disappoint.

2. Brandon Allen shouldn't get a second start at QB for the 49ers

With Brock Purdy sidelined due to a shoulder injury, former undrafted free agent Brandon Allen got his 10th NFL start for the 49ers on Sunday. To put it bluntly, the 32-year-old wasn't up for the task. He completed 17-of-29 passes for 199 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The Niners' offense struggled to move the football all game, which isn't entirely on Allen, but the QB naturally incurs most of the blame.

The Niners are one of the few teams with three legitimate quarterbacks on the roster. Josh Dobbs, who mounted a couple successful starting stints last season, is currently listed at QB3 on the San Francisco depth chart. It seems rather obvious that he should get the nod in Week 13 if Purdy is out of commission.

Now, is Dobbs some knight in shining armor? Of course not. His "success" last season typically preceeded a steep decline. There's a reason the Niners didn't go straight to him. But, unless Daniel Jones is on San Francisco's radar, there aren't many better options out there. Dobbs can at least put a couple decent games under his belt in a pinch. Even banged-up and out of whack, this Niners offense is full of talent and helmed by one of the NFL's best play-callers. Dobbs might be able to do something.

3. Deebo Samuel no-showed at the worst possible time for the 49ers

It has been a tough season for Deebo Samuel, who reached a new low in Sunday's loss. The Niners are already navigating the prolonged absence of Brandon Aiyuk, which leaves a lot of pressure on Samuel's shoulders. It's effectively a contract year for the veteran, too, so he has plenty of incentive to perform beyond the obvious desire to contend for a Super Bowl.

And yet, Samuel just doesn't have it. He caught one of four targets for 21 yards on Sunday and committed a couple egregious drops, one of which preceeded Allen's lone interception of the game.

We can dump on Brendel and Allen all we want, but it's hard — especially for a quarterback — when your "best" receiver can't get separation or convert a basic pitch-and-catch. These are contested drops in traffic. Samuel is muffing wide open dimes. His versatility has formed the bedrock of Kyle Shanahan's offense for so long, but the Niners just can't trust Samuel right now. It leaves a gaping hole in the middle of a WR room that suddenly profiles as one of the worst in the NFL.

It's all bad for the Niners right now. This season is salvagable and reinforcements are on the way in the weeks to come, but there's not much of a silver lining from a 28-point loss to a bitter NFC rival. Backup QB or not, this was a demoralizing loss that could come back to haunt San Francisco.