This is a pretty humorous piece from a San Fran paper.
By the final whistle, it was a compliment.
If the 49ers had stayed within 17 points of the Bears at Soldier Field, they would have come home the way they left, as one of the NFL's works in progress. In fact, they could have lost by three touchdowns without inviting comparisons to the Cardinals and Dolphins. They could even have lost 41-10, as they did, without putting their coach in the position of defending his entire administration.
But the 41-0 halftime score and the three turnovers in the first quarter excavated rock-bottom and established a new depth for the 49ers. When Alex Smith's best passes of the first half yielded a penalty and a fumble, the leading question about the 49ers' future shifted from trying to discern a timeline for renewed contention to a simple, plaintive cry.
When will this end?