Cowing figured to be a player who saw a bigger role with veteran WR Deebo Samuel sidelined by a calf injury. His absence wasn’t much of a story as WR Jauan Jennings put up an 11-catch, 175-yard, three-touchdown game, but it was put under a spotlight when second-year WR Ronnie Bell dropped a key throw late in the loss.

Kyle Shanahan is stubborn. That's why he played Ronnie Bell 30 snaps and Jacob Cowing 0 snaps against the Rams. Bell is in his second season on the team and knows the offense better than Cowing, who's a rookie.

There’s no questioning how good Kyle Shanahan is as an offensive play-caller. But after a stunning collapse to the Los Angeles Rams, the San Francisco 49ers head coach is drawing some serious fire over a different aspect of football: special teams.