If there's anyone who knows about starting a 49ers season undefeated, it's former All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman.
And while San Francisco's perfect record came crashing down in Sunday's 19-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns, the ex-49ers star believes it could be a blessing in disguise.
"Sometimes, you need a wake-up call," Sherman said Sunday night on "The Richard Sherman Show." "You don't want to go undefeated and get the wake-up call in the playoffs, because it's over. This team is going to learn from this."
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The 49ers had a chance to potentially win the game but couldn't improve to 6-0 after rookie kicker Jake Moody's last-second field-goal attempt went wide right -- his second miss of the day. To start the 2019 NFL season, Sherman and the 49ers jumped out to an 8-0 record before falling to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 10.
Those 49ers went on to become NFC champions and nearly won Super Bowl LIV. In short, losing one game isn't the end of a season, and Sherman saw plenty of other positives in San Francisco's loss other than a "wake-up call."
"Brock Purdy played a very tough game, and when the team needed it down the stretch, he completed passes, he got the ball down the field and they missed the kick," Sherman continued, before dealing some tough love to Moody. "If [Moody] continues to perform like this, they will call somebody else up that is more reliable and that can get the job done.
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"I'm sure Robbie Gould is sitting somewhere making sure that he's keeping his leg live, because they're not going to stand for that in the playoffs."
In the end, Sherman believes Purdy gave the 49ers "a chance" to win. But with the Minnesota Vikings awaiting in Week 7, San Francisco, its young quarterback and its rookie kicker certainly should use the loss as a learning lesson.