During the 49ers’ Week 7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, defensive coordinator Steve Wilks of the San Francisco 49ers gained notoriety for a play-call that went awry. With 16 seconds remaining in the first half of Monday night’s game against Minnesota, Wilks called a zero blitz, which infuriated 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. The play-call set up Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison for a 60-yard touchdown.

Wilks spoke to the media on Thursday, breaking his silence on the call gone wrong, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.

Steve Wilks addresses 49ers play that backfired

“I accept whole accountability for the call. I need to do a better job of placing the guys in more advantageous situations. We have talented athletes. I am aware of this and am unable to pursue the matter further; therefore, going forward, I must take responsibility for it. I therefore wish I could take it back, but once more, I must improve.

Wilks acknowledged that he wished he could get the play call back and stated that he “has to do better.”

The blitz call was a relatively uncharacteristic one, at least by the 49ers’ standards this season. The San Francisco defense has generated just a 21.2 percent blitz rate this year, 27th in the NFL, while creating pressure on the quarterback at a 26.1 percent rate, good for seventh in the league, per Pro Football Reference.

In other words, while the sack totals haven’t been there yet, the 49ers haven’t necessarily needed the blitz to pressure opposing passers. Shanahan, speaking to reporters about the play call, certainly felt that San Francisco didn’t need to blitz in that situation.

Wilks “knows he messed up,” according to Shanahan.
“He is aware of his mistake on that call. Zero blitzes are fine in my opinion, especially when players require a lot of yards. I don’t mind using a zero blitz if you need to gain 20 yards to attempt a field goal. However, I do so when 16 seconds remain. It’s where he became disoriented. Just because of the period, there was no need for that. it play call doesn’t bother me, but you can’t do it when it’s time. That isn’t a viable choice.