Niners head toward a future of needed change

The San Francisco 49ers’ lost season has come to a close. With a loss naturally. Would you have expected anything else?  

The question now is what should be expected? Other than the fact that having recorded a painful, almost absurd 6-11 record, the Niners must improve greatly through whatever methods are possible. This includes taking an impactful player, possibly a defensive lineman, with their first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Due to their poor finish, they will be picking 11th in the first round.

On Sunday, in a game which, to use a phrase, was full of subs and scrubs for the Niners, San Francisco was defeated by the Arizona Cardinals 47-24. Niners starting quarterback, Brock Purdy, was kept out of a seemingly meaningless contest.  Although, in a sport all too competitive, it’s perhaps incorrect to use the description “meaningless.”

It may be better to try and look ahead rather than grimly recalling what went on the past several months, but reflecting is both necessary and appropriate. True, San Francisco chose to go with journeyman quarterback, Joshua Dobbs in place of Purdy, who injured his elbow a week ago. However, it was the defense, as has been the case of late, that cost the 49ers any chance of a win today. Arizona rolled up 436 yards on offense, an inexcusable amount for a team that hopes to win.

In a way, that’s old news. However, you need to know what happened if you are going to make a change.

“They wore us down by the third quarter,” Niners coach Kyle Shanahan pointed out. “We’ve been processing what’s been going on and got to get to work during the off-season,” he said in what is a massive understatement.

Journeyman Joshua Dobbs, in his start game of the year, taking over for Purdy, completed 29 passes of 43 attempts for a solid 326 yards and two touchdowns. The problem was he also threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. He, and the Niners, lost a top receiver when Juaun Jennings was ejected for fighting in the second quarter. Shanahan said, “I didn’t see him throw a punch, and am surprised he got ejected.” Jennings said he was being held down and couldn’t get up. As often happens, the officials failed to notice that part of the incident. 

A perfectly imperfect situation in a year when everything went wrong. 

It would be no surprise if the Niners have a placekicker other than Jake Moody next season. Moody did connect on a 51-yard field goal, but then later missed a 47-yard attempt. 

Once again, the Niners hurt themselves with penalties. They were called 13 times for 85 yards. Meanwhile, the Cardinals had only one penalty for 5 yards. Ineffective teams usually draw more penalties because the players are trying to offset a disadvantage, grabbing, pulling or beating the count.

Twelve months ago, the Niners were heading to the Super Bowl. Now they head to a questionable future. 

Niners looking at next year, although two games remain this year

And for this unmerry holiday (and NFL) season, the San Francisco 49ers will receive the 11th pick in the 2025 draft. Which one guesses is better than a lump of coal. Or another game when they can’t stop making penalties. 

No, the Niners are not finished with the 2024 schedule, unfortunately. They still have two games remaining, including Monday night in San Francisco against the Detroit Lions (13-2), a team playing as well as the Niners have played poorly.

When you get to December in pro football you hope to be at your best. And one year ago, the Niners were. Just wanted to reference the good times. Wasn’t the old showbiz slogan, “Always leave ‘em laughing?”

There is no mirth in Ninerville these days, especially after the failings and misfortunes that have haunted them since September—untimely penalties, numerous injuries, and a general lack of football smarts—that ganged together in Sunday’s 29-17 loss to the Dolphins in Miami. That defeat left San Francisco 6-9. It also officially eliminated the 49ers from any spot in the postseason, although even coach Kyle Shanahan conceded they were out of it before kickoff. 

“We knew that last week,” Shanahan said.

What he similarly knew was that the offensive line and overall defense had regressed. “There was a lack of concentration,” said Shanahan, “the penalties, a missed field goal (by Jake Moody). You can’t expect to have three personal fouls on three drives in the second half and expect to win. It was disappointing in how we got the penalties and how many we had.”

Disappointing is a word that is repeated too often about the Niners this season. They have had their chances, but not unusual for a troubled team, they were unable to benefit from them. The Niners need to get younger and stronger. They lost control of the offensive line, and have to make improvements in the running game—although if Christian McCaffrey comes back healthy that will make a difference.

Quarterback Brock Purdy had a semi-effective game Sunday throwing for 313 yards. However, with the Niners getting outgained on the ground with 81 rush yards to the Dolphins’ 166, he didn’t have much help. The old line is “to win you have to be able to run the ball.” 

“Offensively we didn’t play good enough,” said Purdy. “We hurt ourselves. When we think about the plays we should have made, we had plenty of opportunities, but we couldn't finish. Dang it, that hurt.” 

Purdy is going to get a very large contract in the offseason, maybe $60 million a year. The 49ers also are going to have to spend at other positions, including defensive backs.

After a less-than-stellar performance in the loss to the Rams in the rain a week and one half ago, Deebo Samuel played well against Miami, catching seven passes for 96 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 25 yards in five carries.  

“I’m not frustrated,” said Samuel, who perhaps will not be on the team next year if changes are made. “We have had injuries. We need to get prepared for next year.”

Planning ahead is not a bad idea after a bad season.

For the Niners, plenty of rain but not a touchdown

It was an awful way for the San Francisco 49ers to end the season, in the rain at Levi’s Stadium, without a touchdown, and with a 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. No, the Niner’s season is technically not done, but after Thursday night’s depressing defeat, everyone who is a realist understands that’s it for 2024.

Never mind the playoffs. You have to wonder if the 6-8 Niners even have a chance at finishing the season with a .500 record. To make matters worse—as if they could get worse—one of San Francisco’s defensive linemen, De’Vondre Campbell, refused to return to the game in the third quarter. “I’m not going in,” he reportedly told the coaches.

San Francisco at least played effectively on defense, but the offense was alarmingly poor, managing only two field goals by Jake Moody. That started with the game plan by head coach Kyle Shanahan, continued through quarterback Brock Purdy, and went down to boastful wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who had spent the week insisting he wanted more opportunities with the ball. As if answering his demand, the Niners called a pass to Samuel the very first play from scrimmage. It was incomplete.

Samuel eventually caught three passes for 16 yards but gained only three yards on two carries. “The rain impacted us from running as well as we could,” Samuel explained. “We got to do better. It was frustrating.” That word can also be applied to the Niners performance this year.  Indeed, they had far too many injuries, including such key players as running back Christian McCaffrey—who will not return until next season-—and defensive stars Nick Bosa and Drew Greenlaw, who were able to come back to face the Rams.

Yet every team has injuries and when the Niners lost players, they also seemed to lose their heart.  Everything that could go wrong went wrong for many games, including this one on offense.

“We had offensive struggles,” admitted Shanahan, stating the obvious. “They got their run game going better than we did” (the Rams racked up 142 rushing yards compared to San Francisco’s 63). “LA played well and we left a lot out there. Deebo on third down didn’t catch the ball. That was a big one.” 

The Niners were swept by the Rams for the first time in six years. Can you imagine what it was like for the home fans, getting drenched and then being unable to cheer for a single TD? 

And can you imagine what it was like for Purdy, who had one of his poorest games? He was under constant pressure from the Rams, who came in prepared with methods of keeping the Niners QB scrambling, throwing incompletions (14 for 31 for 142 yards) and an interception. It was a career-worst for Purdy, who gained fame as “Mr. Relevant”, the last man picked in the draft. 

“Obviously this one hurts,” said Purdy. “We have lots of people ready to fight to finish out the season the right way. We had opportunities that we didn’t convert out. I didn’t play my best tonight. I left a lot of plays. I could have been better for my team. The defense did a great job.”

Oh well, someday the sun will shine again.

For Niners, even with a win, ‘These are desperate times’

The San Francisco 49ers understand. They are playing for survival, playing for pride, and playing for respect. It would have been difficult to believe in September, but as acknowledged by defensive end Leonard Floyd, that’s exactly where they are. 

The Niners did beat the Chicago “Very Bad News” Bears on Sunday with a decisive 38-13 victory at Levi’s Stadium. But so what? The victory may have been a tourniquet to stop the bleeding from a three-game losing streak that was finally coming to a close.

In the immediate future, this Thursday night, the 49ers will host the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams not only defeated the Niners two and one-half months ago but also stunned the Buffalo Bills on Sunday—who crushed San Francisco in an all too typical Buffalo snowstorm last weekend. 

Technically, the Niners still are going for a spot in the playoffs, although perhaps only in misguided dreams. They need to win all their remaining games, on a schedule that includes the Detroit Lions, who have lost only once in thirteen games.

“These are desperate times,” said Floyd. “The goal is to grab it by the horns and go home early.”  He didn’t mean departing before the postseason but that seems to be the fate awaiting the 49ers. With a 6-7 overall record and sitting at the bottom of the NFC West, their chances of making a playoff run appear slim. 

It’s hard to judge your quality in a game against the Bears, who were playing their first game under interim coach Thomas Brown and have dropped their seventh straight game.

Still, San Francisco was remarkably impressive on defense, keeping Chicago to four yards in the first half. So, the Bears would be an embarrassment to their late founder and owner, George Hallis, but they’re still a legitimate NFL team. 

The Niners' offense was, in a word, effective. Quarterback Brock Purdy reminded us of his performance last year, the Super Bowl year, completing fourteen of his first sixteen passes and finishing with 20 of 25 for 325 yards and two touchdowns. “We had offensive rhythm in the first half,” said Kyle Shanahan, the Niners' relieved coach—who had been a target of fans and journalists during the brief losing streak.

“We had to step it up today”, said Shanahan. “We did and we got a win.”

Floyd, who had two sacks of San Francisco’s total seven, said “Great defense. Everyone stepped up. The goal is to carry it to Thursday.” 

The defense had been a problem with the injuries to Nick Bosa and others. 

Bosa still was unable to play for a third straight game, but with Floyd and ever-reliable Fred Warner taking charge, the D certainly dominated Chicago. The Bears were held to just 162 total yards. San Francisco surged to a commanding 24-0 lead by halftime, effectively deciding the game before the break. Chicago didn’t score until about the middle of the third quarter. 

Niner partisans had been eagerly anticipating—or perhaps just patiently waiting—for a performance like this over the past couple of months. They finally have it. However, it might have come too late.

The falling snow had nothing to do with the fall of the 49ers

The snow was unstoppable. So were the Buffalo Bills, as they dominated the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, winning 35-10. 

This wasn’t cause and effect. The weather had nothing to do with the result. If this game were played in Miami or even Milpitas, the Bills, who may be headed to the Super Bowl, would have won just as easily as they did in the game at their home stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y. 

What’s happened to the Bills, possibly certainly seemed predictable. They have a great young quarterback, Josh Allen, who is from Firebaugh near Sacramento and, ironically, grew up to be a 49ers fan. He became the first player at his position—and only the fourth in NFL history—to throw a touchdown pass, catch a touchdown pass, and run for a touchdown in a single game. One of the other three was the Niners’ Christian McCaffrey who did it two years ago. He had been hurt much of this season, and then Sunday after returning, was injured again.

That mirrors what the 49ers have experienced since September—suffering from injuries when they weren’t plagued by mistakes. Now, after losing their third straight game, they find themselves in last place in the NFC West.

“We only scored one field goal in the first half,” said 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. 

And for all intents, the game—and sadly, the Niners season, was over right there.

“I’m very disappointed,” said Shanahan. “I thought we could better than that”

The Niners haven’t been able to run, partly because of McCaffrey’s injuries, and worse, they haven’t been able to stop the run. Buffalo stomped its way through for 222 yards and three touchdowns rushing. 

McCaffrey seemed on his way to a touchdown in the second quarter but was pulled down and hurt again. “He had a great week of practice,” Shanahan said of McCaffrey. “When he broke it open, it looked like he was going all the way, but he was tripped and that was when he hurt his knee and had to leave the game.”

Did that make a difference? Perhaps. Let’s say probably. The Niners were not going to win this game the way Allen and the Bills’ offense were going through the suddenly ineffective Niners' defense.

What has happened to the San Francisco team that made it to the Super Bowl last year is a haunting question. Yes, the inordinate number of injuries—Nick Bosa missed Sunday’s game—has been a factor. But, whether because key players have aged too quickly or there is another explanation, something is very wrong. The 49ers either come apart in the last quarter or like this game against Buffalo, get beaten badly. Good teams do have their off days, which is the reason nobody since the 1972 Miami Dolphins has finished undefeated. But these Niners have had too many off days.

The Niners particularly have had trouble on both offense and defense in the area near the end zone, which is known as the Red Zone, but Sunday with the snow it should be renamed the White Zone.

Where do the troubled Niners go from here (aside from Buffalo)?

It wasn’t only that the Niners were without notable starters Brock Purdy, defensive end Nick Bosa, and offensive tackle Trent Williams due to injuries. It also was because the men on the field seemed to be as confused as they were incapable.

These Niners have evolved from a team that last season appeared in the Super Bowl—oh how far away that seems with the current circumstances—to one that appears incapable of stopping making penalties or even more critically incapable of stopping the opponent from making yards on the ground.

Statistics are sometimes misleading. Not this time. The Niners failed to record a first down until roughly midway through the second quarter. They gained only 44 yards rushing (while allowing 169). They were called for nine penalties, costing them 77 yards. The Packers had an unordinary five penalties for 44 yards. 

As you might surmise, the Niners coach Kyle Shanahan, having endured one of the most one-sided defeats in his coaching career, was less than thrilled.

“We missed way too many tackles,” said Shanahan. “The 1st half was the worst.” 

That’s when they fell behind 17-7. 

“We had three turnovers and they all turned into touchdowns,” emphasized Shanahan—as if on this Sunday, when the Niners dropped to a record of 5-6 and the bottom of the mediocre NFC West, he needed to be emphatic. What he needs to do is figure out how to restore the winning ways, something that may prove difficult. 

San Francisco next plays at Buffalo against a Bills team that is the only one in this season of 2024 to defeat the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. Purdy’s return certainly will help, not that the Niners didn’t get an impressive temporary replacement in Brandon Allen, who hadn’t been in a game for three years. He completed seventeen passes for 199 yards. 

It's the defense—formerly the backbone of the Niners—that needs fixing. Suddenly, they can't stop the run, and when that becomes a problem, a team is in serious trouble. The opponent simply calls one ground play after another, gaining yards and keeping the ball. In the end, on Sunday, the Packers controlled the ball for 36 minutes compared to San Francisco's 23. Hard to do much in football without the ball, except conjure up ways to get it and then give it away. The three turnovers—an interception, a lost fumble by Allen, and another by Christian McCaffrey—were part of the reason the Niners' offense was stymied. 

Where do the Niners go from this point? Do they regain some of their skills and their mojo? Or, because of what has transpired, does it get worse before it gets better? If it ever gets better?  

Amazing how long it takes to reach the top or close to it, and how quickly a team can tumble.

Was it the defense, the offense, or both that cost the Niners?

The San Francisco 49ers’ expectations of September have been overwhelmed by the failings of November. Head coach Kyle Shanahan used the word disappointing. He was specifically talking about the 20-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. But the word would apply to the 2024 season, in which an attempt to return for a second straight year to the NFL Championship game now seems very doubtful.

Whatever happens to teams that lose the Super Bowl is mysterious and deflating. Right now the Niners are 5-5, and almost certainly a doubtful participant in the coming Superbowl. The unavoidable factors on which football is known, offense, defense, special teams, and, perhaps heart—that propelled the Niners to success a year ago—have vanished. 

Yes, key players have been missing and bad breaks have been too prevalent, but good teams overcome the bad stuff. Which is the reason they are good teams.

The manner in which the Niners fell to the Seahawks giving up the lead they had taken with only twelve seconds to go, is all too indicative of a team that for whatever reason has lost its way.

This was the fifth time San Francisco failed to retain a fourth-quarter lead this season. They say good teams win the close ones. What this makes the Niners is up to the judgment of the individual, but so far they certainly seem to meet the standard of a good team.

“We had our opportunities to win this game,” said Shanahan, “but we didn’t get it done. Penalties just killed us.”

That the Niners were without their star defensive lineman, Nick Bosa, in the final minutes, after he incurred a hip injury, certainly did not help. Yet winning teams manage to survive the negatives.

Through the length of an NFL schedule with players crashing into each other game after game, there will always be injuries and missed games. It’s how you respond when key players are not on the field. One of those was Bosa. Another, unquestionably was George Kittle, the Niners tight end whose blocking and receiving are a major part of the offense. He was declared out even before the kickoff. Still, as Shanahan has pointed out, the Niners had their chances—opportunities he called them—and were unable to take advantage of them. It’s been that kind of year for San Francisco, a team often unable to do the right thing at the right time, or even at the apparent wrong time. 

The Niners were unable to move the ball on the ground. A month ago in Seattle, the 49ers rushed for 228 yards and beat the Seahawks. But Sunday, they gained only 131 yards. Was it because the offensive line has worn down or because Seattle was better on defense?

Some might point out that the reason the Niners were beaten by Seattle in this game was because of their defense. However, maybe if San Francisco picked up more yards with the ball, it wouldn’t have mattered how many they allowed when the other team had the ball.

It may be unfair to blame what the Niners couldn’t do with the ball on what the Seahawks could do with the ball, in other words finding fault with the offense rather than the defense.

In truth, it was a little bit of both. And that’s why the Niners are struggling and may not get to the postseason.

Will 49ers find it less stressful against Seahawks?

Yes, as you are aware, after three failed field goals, a muffed punt and a confrontation between a couple of teammates, the Niners crushed the hard-luck Tampa Bay Buccaneers down in Florida, where the guys on the telecast kept talking about the hot weather and the officiating.

The winning margin was provided by Jake Moody, who, after missing the previous two games because of an ankle injury and missing kicks in this one, hit the winning field goal with 0:00 on the clock.

The game was perhaps a bit too exciting for the 49ers, who had opportunities to make it easier on themselves.  However, what they did accomplish was pull off a 23-20 victory and get their record above .500. Now, they have a chance to go up a notch when they face the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday—a team they defeated just a few weeks ago in Seattle.

Christian McCaffrey played for the first time this season, and according to those in the know, helped make a difference. He gained 39 yards on 13 carries and caught six passes for 68 yards. 

“I feel good,” said McCaffrey, who was recovering from leg and groin problems.  

Quarterback Brock Purdy completed 25 of 36 for 353 yards, several of those in the final minute on third-down plays as San Francisco drove for the victory.  

It was a satisfying conclusion. However, anyone viewing on Fox TV would not forget that in the first half after one of those errant kicks, Moody was challenged (threatened? berated?) by Deebo Samuel, who was irked by Moody’s inability to get the ball through the uprights.

Both players eventually shrugged it off, using that familiar explanation that emotions become apparent in an activity where 200-plus-pound individuals spend hours pounding into each other.

Niners coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t offer much more about Samuel-Moody or whether Moody would remain the man responsible for field goals and PATs. Shanahan said he had no advice for Moody before the kick that would win the game. 

"What am I going to say to him?" Shanahan remarked. "'You better make it'? Does that help?"

Hard to say, and maybe it would hurt.

Nerve-wracking but successful: 49ers game against the Cowboys

Sure it was more nerve-wracking than preferred, but in the NFL you accept the fates the opposition and your defense provide, especially when the game concludes with a win that was most needed and satisfying. Especially when it comes against the oh-so-pretentious Dallas Cowboys.

On Sunday night, the Niners held on—that phrase is not meant critically, but emotionally—to a 30-24 victory at Levi’s.

History virtually dictates that the 49ers will somehow defeat “The Boys” because they usually do. However, this one, after the Niners came from behind and then almost came from ahead, was as difficult and exciting as any recent Niners-Dallas game. It also was as necessary as any game this season, with San Francisco coming in with a 3-4 record. Now they’re even and now they have a bye for the coming week which may enable them to continue their brief success and regain some of their injured players, primarily the running back Christian Mc Caffrey who still hasn’t played since the end of last season.

Look, there is still half the season to go, but you don’t want to settle down with a losing record, especially when you are only a few months away from competing in Super Bowl XVIII. And you got that very feeling from the post-game remarks by head coach Kyle Shanahan. He called the game a “gut check” which is strong language and a reflection of how important it was.

The Niners trailed early, 10-6, and then led 27-10, but the final margin was six after the Cowboys scored on a pass from Dak Prescott to Cee Dee Lamb with 3:36 to play. 

Whether the Niners were in danger of losing depends on the viewpoint, but they seemed enough in control that this one wasn’t going to get away as some games earlier in the season. Brock Purdy had arguably his best game after being criticized earlier in the week. In today’s game, he used his legs as well as his very accurate arm. He scrambled several times and also bursted away for 16 yards on one carry, ending up with a rushing total of 56 yards. He completed 18 of 26 pass attempts for 260 yards and one touchdown.

The defense kept us in it,” said Purdy, “and then we got going on offense.”

All this despite the lack of MacCaffrey and Deebo Samuel, who after spending time in the hospital because of pneumonia, injured his ribs carrying the ball in this game. Just another hurt player for a San Francisco team that has been affected by an enormous amount of injuries. 

If you turn on ESPN, you might believe the Cowboys are the only team in existence. Yes, they have their reputation, and their owner, Jerry Jones, is only too willing to discuss the franchise anytime there is a microphone within shouting distance.

The Niners have performed well against the Cowboys, winning the last four matchups. This rivalry—if you can call it that—is beneficial not only to both teams but also to the league as a whole.

“Going into this game we knew it was a big one, “ said Shanahan. 

Maybe bigger than the coach of a 3-4 team would admit. No worry, that’s old news. The record is back to respectability.

Niners’ Shanahan on loss to Chiefs: “We got our ass kicked today”

They were calling it a Super Bowl rematch. It was more like a mismatch.

"There's no way to sugarcoat this. We got our ass kicked today," said Kyle Shanahan, the San Francisco 49ers coach. 

The final score made it seem close, Kansas City Chiefs 28, Niners 18. It wasn’t. A more accurate reflection would come from the time of possession: Kansas City owned the ball for more than 35 minutes. It owns the 49ers seemingly forever, now having beaten San Francisco the last five times they played.

The Chiefs only defeated San Francisco 25-22 in overtime in Super Bowl LVIII last February, and yes, the 49ers could have won that game. They had no chance of winning this one, Sunday, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, as Shanahan so tersely pointed out.

Not only was it because of the three interceptions of quarterback Brock Purdy, who concedes he tried to force the last two of the throws. Indeed Purdy and the Niners were without three top receivers, Jauan Jennings, Deebo Samuel and then when he got hurt in the fourth quarter—apparently a torn ACL—Brandon Ayuik. The loss of those players understandably had a huge effect on the Niners' offense, but every team in the NFL has injuries. KC was without several players, and the best teams survive if not thrive.

The Chiefs indeed are thriving at 6-0. They are the only team in pro football still undefeated with the Vikings falling to Detroit earlier Sunday. So much for any thought that KC would have a letdown after last season's title.   

The Niners are 3-4. While the situation figures to improve if and when halfback Christian McCaffrey returns, along with several of the missing receivers, it will not be easy to return to the playoffs. 

So many things have gone wrong this year, including the inability to finish games. If the Niners are to regain their once-exalted position as one of the NFL’s leading franchises, Sunday night’s game against the Dallas Cowboys would be a good place to start. 

The Cowboys have had their own troubles, and have owner Jerry Jones giving various explanations. Long ago Dallas was labeled “America’s team,” and whether that was justified, the Cowboys have earned as much respect and disdain as any team in any sport. 

The Chiefs have simply gained admiration under coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes. They just kept winning and on Sunday the Niners were their victim. Again.

KC did it with a defense that wasn’t overwhelming, just efficient. The Niners gained 384 net yards, compared to the 358 for the Chiefs, but San Francisco, as has been the case, could not turn yardage into enough points.

Purdy’s three interceptions were part of the reason. Turnovers hurt even the best teams, and it is obvious that San Francisco, now behind Seattle in the division, isn’t one of the very best teams at the moment. The Niners still have more than half of their season remaining, which could be good news if they figure out how to complete the drives and somehow keep players healthy enough to play.

Niners get the game they needed—for themselves and the fans

This was the game the San Francisco 49ers needed, maybe as much for themselves as their doubting fans and skeptical media. And this was the game the 49ers, calling down the echoes, grabbed in the most resounding and reassuring of ways.

True, the final score showed the Niners only in front 36-24, but from the opening moments you sensed they not only were going to win but prove that the talent and fire were still in the locker room and on the field.

They didn’t correct all the faults on display in consecutive losses to the Rams and Cardinals, but they once more reminded us of the exciting teams that got the ball into the end zone and stopped opposing runners when needed.

Playing at Seattle’s home, Lumen Field, against a Seahawks team that had its own problems, but still had a better record (3-2) than San Francisco, the 49ers showed plenty of offense (483 yards) and enough defense—including big interceptions by two rookie defensive backs, Renardo Green and Malek Mustapha. 

Maybe the game became a little uncomfortable for the Niners and their supporters, when the Seahawks, after trailing 16-0 late in the first half, closed to 23-17 late in the third quarter.

However, one never felt the Niners wouldn’t stay in control.

The belief that the Niners were among the NFL’s best teams had been restored, although we’ll find out more when they play the Super Bowl champion, Kansa City Chiefs, a week from Sunday. At the moment, we’ll be content with the fact that against the Seahawks the Niners seemed revitalized and very competitive.

Niners coach Kyle Shanahan, as disappointed in his team’s offensive output the previous two games as anyone—San Francisco had only one offensive touchdown against the Cardinals—was understandably thrilled by the way his team moved the ball, especially moving it into the end zone.

Shanahan was intent on opening up things, and that tactic worked beautifully, quarterback Brock Purdy throwing three touchdown passes, a 76-yarder to Deebo Samuel, and two to the ever-reliable George Kittle, 10 and nine yards. For a man known for his solid blocking that sets runners free, Kittle is impressive as a receiver.

“He made two very good catches,” said Shanahan about Kittle. “And Deebo really turned in a great play. We used him a lot.”

Purdy spoke about the team’s resilience after its stumbling start.

“I think that we all came together as a team,” said Purdy. “Both touchdowns were trust factors. We stuck together as a unit.”

Niners need a kicker, luck and a win

The San Francisco 49ers need a new placekicker. Surely they will have one before Monday is done. The 49ers need a victory. They may get that in a few days. The Niners likewise need a break. Who will guess when one might occur?

The intent is not to seek sympathy for the Niners, who over the past decades have had their share of good fortune and success. And even if that were the intent—nothing is normal in the business of pro sports—none would be provided.

But for all the things that went right through the years when the 49ers were winning, including last season when they came within a victory—albeit a very significant victory—of taking the Super Bowl, so much has gone wrong this screwball season of 2024.

Not only are the Niners stumbling along with a losing record of 2-3, but the situation seems to be even bleaker than the numbers. On Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, San Francisco had built a 13-point lead over the quite mediocre Arizona Cardinals and then lost on a field goal with 1:37 remaining. Yes, the temperature climbed to more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit by the second half and yes the Cardinals train in the desert where temperatures are in that range daily, but good teams overcome such difficulties, which is why they are good teams. The Niners, on Sunday, could not. What the Niners similarly could not overcome was the loss of their kicker Jake Moody, who injured an ankle while trying to do what kickers and quarterbacks should be reluctant to do, make a tackle.

San Francisco after consecutive defeats to two other West Division teams, the Los Angeles Rams—blowing a big lead in that one—and the Cardinals, are in more than a bit of trouble.  They do have a chance to make a correction quickly when they play the Seahawks in a Thursday night game at Seattle. However, that could end up as another loss for the Niners, no matter who they pick up as their new kicker.

You’ve often heard the line that defense wins. And that’s not untrue, but you need a little offense, and it would be unfair to blame the defeat against the Cardinals on the D even though the Niners had built a large advantage. San Francisco scored only one touchdown on offense and was shut out in the second half. The Niners were without their All-Pro back, Christian McCaffrey, as they have been in every game this season, yet backup Jordan Mason has done more than an adequate job. It’s just like a jigsaw puzzle, the pieces don’t fit with the Niner offense. San Francisco outgained the Cardinals 384 yards to 358. And yet, the Niners were unable to do what we’ve become used to them doing, taking the ball and getting it into the end zone when needed.

It was needed Sunday and maybe it will show up for Thursday’s game along with the new kicker.

Nobody said winning would be easy, but it has become very hard for the Niners the last few games.

49ers use a Belichick-type defense to beat his old team

You imagine Bill Belichick found a measure of appreciation the way his former team was defeated Sunday—if given the circumstances, not quite to the same degree Kyle Shanahan found in his current team winning.

Belichick’s historic success with the New England Patriots, the seven Super Bowl championships, was constructed on defense, although to be sure, no one doubts the contributions of a quarterback named Tom Brady.

The Patriots, now without Belichick and very much rebuilding, came to Levi Stadium Sunday, where the 49ers finally showed the type of defense needed to win in the NFL, defeating the Patriots, 31-13.

Quarterback Brock Purdy again played impressively for the Niners, but the difference as Purdy pointed out in the post-game interview, the defense missing the last couple of weeks—both defeats—was back and in full force. If that was the result of linebacker Fred Warner’s pre-game almost threatening inspirational speech to the squad, then so be it. Sometimes it takes a slap from more than the final score.

The Niners knew what to do. It’s just that they didn’t do it against the Minnesota Vikings or the Los Angeles Rams. Was it complacency or merely the unavoidable fact that teams do not play at the highest level each time out? 

“We were not playing the way we should,” said Warner.  

Quickly enough he turned his words into actions. In the opening minutes of the second quarter with San Francisco ahead 6-0, Warner picked off a pass from Jacoby Bissett and turned the interception into a 45-yard return for a touchdown. He injured his ankle on the play and did not return, but Warner said he would be fine—and after the pick-6 it was apparent the Niners also would be fine.

“The defense was awesome,” said Shanahan, “especially on 1st downs.”

San Francisco limited the Pats to a mere 216 yards on offense. New England had the ball for only 3 fewer minutes than the Niners, but couldn’t do much with it. The Niners had six quarterback sacks, in part because of the Patriots’ ineffectiveness but in part because of San Francisco’s needed aggressiveness. After all, didn’t the Niners give defensive lineman, Nick Bosa, $170 million for five years to help the defense play the way it finally did?

Purdy will be getting a new contract for next season and it is predicted to be enormous because quarterbacks, understandably, get better paid than anyone in pro football. But at the moment, however, Purdy is only talking about this season—and what has transpired.

“The offense and defense today were complimentary,” said Purdy, alluding to one category helping the other. “We distributed the ball.”

Jordan Mason, filling in beautifully for the injured Christian McCaffrey, rushed for 123 yards. Tight end George Kittle, known for his necessary blocking, made a spectacular touchdown catch and kicker Jake Moody was perfect on three field goal attempts.

So now the Niners seem to be revitalized, particularly on defense. They have many games left to verify that this is true, starting with the one against the Arizona Cardinals. If a game against the mediocre Cardinals verifies anything.

Was Niners' loss to Rams mystifying and mortifying?

It wasn’t so much who was missing. A great team, even a very good team, overcomes the loss of star players through injuries, inequities, bad breaks, and surprises—very tricky of the Rams to pull off that fake punt. 

Which the San Francisco 49ers did not. Which is why they are not a great team.

Yes, the Niners were without Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle, but they did have a 14-0 lead early on, and then a 10-point lead with 6 ½ minutes to go.

And they were playing the Rams in Los Angeles where they never lose—at least more than the once they did in the playoffs a few years ago. And all the fans, as you could tell on television,  the red-shirts and jerseys and unstopping cheers at So-Fi Stadium, as always the majority of the fans were cheering for San Francisco.

Despite all this, the previously winless Rams on a 37-yard field goal with two seconds remaining by former Stanford kicker, Josh Karty, beat the 49ers 27-24. 

This was more mortifying than mystifying, perhaps. Teams losing Super Bowls, as did the Niners in February,  seem to disintegrate the following season. That doesn’t mean the Niners are doomed, but they are 1-2. No excuses even with the big injuries.

Niners coach Kyle Shanahan seemed as stunned as anybody. 

“There were a number of times we could have put them away,” said Shanahan on the Niners post-game telecast. “It was a frustrating game. We kicked a field goal and they came right back with a field goal.” 

In trying to raise the spirits of the 49ers faithful, Shanahan pointed out that the 49ers had a three-game losing streak last year and as we know they made it to the Super Bowl. And as we also know they didn’t win the Super Bowl. It is a tough league, the NFL, and while it takes a team a long time to climb to the top, it can tumble into the depths oh so quickly. That doesn’t mean the Niners are headed for a decline. But the little things that go right when a team is successful seem to go wrong when the defeats begin to mount. 

That doesn’t mean the Niners are doomed, and they could well recover from this inglorious start to the season, but losing to the Rams certainly is ominous. A win in L.A. seemed almost a given.

Even with McCaffrey, Samuel, and Kittle ailing and missing from the offense, it seemed to be the defense that couldn’t respond to the demands. In the first half, there was a sequence in which the Rams had the third down and 29 to go, LA seemed notably hopeless. But as we should have known from watching pro football through the years, situations and ideas change almost as quickly as teams do from one end of the field to the other.

Brock Purdy, the Niners quarterback, played even better than some would give him credit for. He completed 22 passes in 30 attempts for 292 yards and three touchdowns, all three caught by Jauan Jennings. Purdy also ran 10 times for 41 yards.

“No problem with Brock,” said Shanahan. “He played his ass off.”

There wasn’t much more to give or to say.

McCaffrey missing but with Mason taking his place, Niners' offense was not

So you were unable to watch the Monday night game because of the arrogance and selfishness of those dueling millionaires, ESPN and Directv? That’s what happens to us knaves, but there is a solution, if a bit inadequate.

Simply insert a disc on your playback device of any 49ers game from last season. Other than the Super Bowl. The Niners are still the same. Not that you or anyone in the NFL should be surprised.

Yes, an hour or two before kickoff at Levi’s Stadium, it was announced that San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey, arguably the best all-around running back in the league, would not play because of a lingering calf injury. Oh well, line up Jordan Mason and chalk up a season-opening victory, 32-19, over the New York Jets.  

Mason carried 28 times for 147 yards and a touchdown. But he seemed very unimpressed with himself. Although he had the game of his brief 49er career, Mason shrugged it off, saying “I worked hard all summer.”

Linebacker Fred Warner was similarly unexcited. “That’s why we’re a team,” said Warner. “We have a lot of good players.”

On both sides of the ball, the Niners won this game early by forcing the Jets into repeated three-and-out sequences. When you don’t have the ball, even with a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers, making a comeback is tough. 

At age 40, Rodgers, the one-time Cal star, was unable to hit any big plays until well into the second half. The Jets head coach is Robert Saleh, who arrived in New York after working as defensive coordinator for the Niners. He certainly knows the San Francisco offensive system and how to stop it. But it proved impressive.  Once again, the Niners are too strong.

On the telecast, which you may not have seen, the FOX announcing crew of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman kept repeating the fact that the Niners were running between the tackles. As if it were a shock. The Niners are recognized for their passing attack, but their emphasis under coach Kyle Shanahan has been to pound out yards.

That is a two-way advantage. San Francisco held onto the ball for nearly 40 minutes and gained 401 net yards. It’s difficult for the opposition to score when it doesn’t have the football.  

San Francisco quarterback, Brock Purdy, completed 19 of 29 passes for 231 yards. However, the Niners did not have a touchdown through the air, a rare occurrence.

Shanahan was not displeased with his team’s performance. Although as coaches always point out after wins, there could be improvement. The Niners go to Minneapolis next Sunday where they’ll face the Vikings and quarterback, Sam Darnold, who of course in the 2023 season was Purdy’s backup on the 49ers.

Ricky Pearsall, the rookie who was shot in the chest at Union Square during a robbery attempt a week ago Saturday, was at the game Monday night.  He is on the non-football injury list and hopes to be in uniform in a month. Some of the first responders who treated Pearsall after the shooting were at the game and honored by the Niners.

Mahomes does it to Niners. Again.

The Super Bowl. Again. The Kansas City Chiefs. Again. Patrick Mahomes. Again. Heartbreak for Northern California. Again.

This is the fact of sports: Sometimes the other guy is better. Sometimes the other team is better.

You train and work out. You try your hardest. And you lose.

So much excitement. So many dreams of glory. And then defeat. That’s the way it went for guys facing Roger Federer. Or women facing Serena Williams. Or NFL teams facing Mahomes in the biggest games.

No ifs. No might-haves. No, “They got all the good breaks.”

No blaming the offensive line or the fact that an injury caused Dre Greenlaw to miss the entire second half. Just Chiefs, 25, San Francisco, 22, Sunday in Super Bowl LVIII, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

“Two good teams facing each other,” Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said honestly and sadly.

And the 49ers weren’t quite as good as Kansas City because of Patrick Mahomes at quarterback.

“He can pass, and he can run,” affirmed Niners linebacker Fred Warner.

Most of all he can beat you.

The Niners went far this season, and won the NFC Championship. But for Niner fans who carry in their head reminders of the glory days of the 1980s, that’s not far enough.

Strange, so strange, and so perplexing. This time the San Francisco defense was king. For a while. Until Mahomes, virtually unstoppable, knocked away the crown.

The anticipation kept growing as the Niners kept advancing. The Bay Area’s television stations were relentless in the promotion. Overkill is a way of life in the media.

America’s so-called favorite city and the city’s favorite sports franchise. Add in the bright lights and myths of Vegas, and well isn’t that a bit of perfection?

Yes, until game time. Until the Niners had trouble scoring and until Mahomes — the necessary evil in this plot — got up and lifted Kansas City.

“Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes are great players,” said Shanahan, who, when he was an assistant at Atlanta lost a lead in the Super Bowl to Brady, and as head coach of the Niners, has lost two leads and two Super Bowls to Mahomes.

He didn’t blame his guys, whether second-year quarterback Brock Purdy or veteran running back Christian McCaffrey, the offensive player of the year, or the special teams for a missed extra point. Which in the end didn’t really matter.

He simply gave credit to that quarterback, Mahomes, who produced a great ending for the Chiefs and a miserable one for the Niners and their followers.

“We are all hurting,” said Shanahan. Again.

Surreal comeback gets Niners to Super Bowl

It was a comeback that seemed as much surreal as successful, one that equaled the greatest in NFL postseason history and no less meaningful elevated them into the Super Bowl.

The 49ers were being overrun and overwhelmed in the NFC Championship Sunday by the Detroit Lions, seemingly destined to be left in the dust as well as the distance in their quest for the championship game.

They couldn’t stop the Lions on defense and couldn’t score against them on offense, behind almost from the opening moments and trailing by two touchdowns and a field goal as late as the third quarter.

But it changed so quickly, and for the home team, so magnificently. And there after key stops and against-the-grain maneuvers by nonconformist Detroit coach Dan Campell who defied basic football logic, going for it twice on fourth down and short—and failing—the Niners were 34-31 winners. 

They advance to Super Bowl LVIII on February 12 in Las Vegas against the Kansas City Chiefs, whose victory over the favored Baltimore Ravens earlier in the afternoon appeared to preview a Niners defeat.  

Not so fast. 

The defense started making tackles and quarterback Brock Purdy engineered a rally that would have made Joe Montana—a spectator at Levi’s Stadium—almost envious. San Francisco came out aggressively and determinedly after halftime—“We had no other choice,” said a weary head coach, Kyle Shanahan.

Campbell, the Lions’ third-year coach, had choices on fourth down—his reputation is that of a man who takes chances—and decided even with the lead to go for the first down instead of kicking a field goal.

The first time was with some seven minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Lions, in front 24-10, had a fourth and two on the Niners 28. Does a field goal give Detroit an insurmountable margin? An incomplete pass from Jared Goff gave San Francisco the life it seemed to lack.

The Niners kicked a field goal, and—which, yes, the Lions could have done—and now it was all different.

Early on, Goff, the kid from Marin County and Cal, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2016, was outperforming the Niners’ Brock Purdy, who as we know was the last pick in the 2022 draft.  

Purdy has been criticized—unfairly perhaps—for being a “game manager”, however that’s defined, and never bringing the Niners from behind to a victory.

That belief was erased emphatically as he produced the win. ”Brock was great,” said Shanahan. “He did it as much with his legs as with his arm.”

Purdy scrambled away from tacklers several times and completed 20 of 31 passes for 267 yards.

Still attempting to remain the low-key guy he’s been, Purdy talked about the blocking and the defense. Not until pressed, did he comment on going where so few get the opportunity, the Super Bowl.

“Yeah,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it.”

So certainly is Shanahan. Five seasons ago, he coached the Niners to a Super Bowl against, yes, Kansas City. San Francisco then was unable to hold a second-half lead in that game.

Shanahan, however, preferred to talk about what happened against the Lions.

“I’ve never been in a game like this,” he said.

He’s not alone.

Did missed kicks matter for Niners in a game that didn’t?

You say the Niners game Sunday didn’t matter, unless you bet the Rams, who were 2½ point underdogs (and won).

Or if you’re a 49ers rookie placekicker who suddenly couldn’t get the ball through the uprights. Perhaps. But it at least was somewhat unnerving, even with the top seed in the playoffs previously clinched.

True, it did matter for the Rams, who moved up a notch in the postseason seedings and after the comeback 21-20 victory at Levi’s Stadium, could face the Niners once more in two weeks. 

This time? No Christian McCaffrey, no Brock Purdy, and no Deebo Samuel for San Francisco, those guys taking a rest as the 49ers took no chances getting them hurt in the regular season finale. That was expected. Unexpected was Jake Moody missing an extra point for the first time after going 60 for 60 and also missing on a 38-yard field goal attempt.

“He never missed one all year,” Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said, defending Moody’s failure after the Niners’ second touchdown. “He’s done a hell of a job.”

That is correct, but so is the comment by former Niner Donte Whitner on Sunday’s post-game TV show, that the pressure builds in the playoffs, and a miss now very well could lead to a miss then—and elimination.

Not that Shanahan was likely to dwell on Moody’s fall from perfection, even though in the end it was the reason the Niners ended regular play with a defeat and a 12-5 record. 

Sam Darnold was the Niners quarterback and was effective enough to provide new hope that if something happened again to Purdy, knocked out of the playoffs last year by that elbow injury, Darnold would keep things going.

The irony, of course, is Darnold was a first-round selection by the Jets, who eventually traded him to Carolina, while Purdy was a final-round pick—last overall, “Mr. Irrelevant”—by the 49ers.

Purdy was on the scene Sunday, just not in uniform, although he did work out with his teammates before kickoff.

The best part of having the top seed in the conference and the bye in the first round of the playoffs is the opportunity to rest players who have been pounded and battered from September. The worst part, some say, is getting out of the weekly pattern.

The Niners, with Shanahan and numerous veterans, should be able to stay the course. They’ve been through the grind, dropped three straight games, then followed with five straight wins.

“Our goal was to get the No.1 seed,” Shanahan said “We did, and it was weird this past week, but I like how our guys handled it. A number of guys got better through the year. We still feel our best football is forward.”

ESPN comments kinder to Niners than the game

What you heard Tuesday wasn’t quite bad as what you saw Monday. If you are a 49ers fan.

Yes, the result stayed the same, the Baltimore Ravens with a 33-19 victory that was as resounding as perhaps it may have been surprising.

But the comments the morning after on ESPN, especially from retired long-time NFL players-turned-commentators Shannon Sharpe and Jeff Saturday, offered a bit of perspective.  

If no particular advice on how to slow down the hype and excitement, nor stop Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson, who despite Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey, may be chosen the NFL Most Valuable Player. As he was in 2019.

That video in the Ravens post-game locker room at Levi’s Stadium Christmas night, of Harbaugh calling out his athletes one by one and then, when Jackson was presented everyone chanting, “MVP, MVP, MVP,” was tough to accept for the Faithful. 

But accept it they must.

Amazing isn’t it how one game turns everything upside down and inside out? Purdy throws four interceptions. The Niners do little on offense and not much on defense.   

They led 5-3 in the first quarter—or was it the first inning?—against the Baltimore Orioles?

The ESPN guys wondered why the Niners kept throwing instead of going to the run with McCaffrey. Or how Purdy, who is in his second pro season, would respond to the worst game of his brief but until now golden career.

The 49ers are 11-4, the best in the NFC, and if they recover after this jolt and in order beat the very, very beatable Washington Commanders and then the improving LA Rams, the Niners will have home field throughout the playoffs and a first-round bye.

“We’re going to find out a lot about Brock Purdy,” said Sharp. “He’ll be helped by (Kyle) Shannahan and (coach) Brian Griese.”

Shanahan, of course, is San Francisco’s head coach, and he’s known as an offensive genius. But this time the offense was ineffective against the Ravens, who with tactics devised by defensive coordinator Mike McDonald were able to stymie every Niners drive—until Purdy was picked off.  

“The first one was his fault,” Shanahan said of Purdy’s interceptions. “The others were tipped balls.”

Purdy incurred a left-shoulder stinger in the fourth quarter, and with the Niners far behind was replaced by Darnold—who also had a pass picked off, five interceptions total for San Francisco.

Nine days ago, when the pre-game odds were favoring the Niners, Jackson, the Baltimore quarterback, whined that his team was being disrespected.

To steal a line from Edgar Allan Poe, whose 19th Century poem is responsible for the team’s name, Ravens, “Nevermore.”

49ers, a new red (jersied) machine

The label was used originally back in the 1970s for the baseball team from Cincinnati. So pardon a bit of plagiarism for choosing to call the 49ers, in their home uniforms, the Big Red Jersied Machine.

We’re talking pro football. We’re talking big gains (the first play of the game was Christian McCaffrey sprinting 72 yards). We’re talking timely defense. We’re talking another five-game win streak. 

We’re talking a 28-16 victory over the Seattle Seahawks Sunday that elevated the Niners into a tie for the best record in the NFL. We’re talking about a coach, Kyle Shanahan, who was pleased but as every coach until the season ends, seeking improvement.

We’re talking a next game against the Arizona Cardinals, who at 3-10, are as bad as the 10-3 Niners are good. We’re talking a roster of  players who on offense remind us of the 1980s, the Montana, Craig, Rice, Clark, Young group about which John Madden in his role as TV an analyst would say again and again, “too many weapons.”

On this 2023 Niners team the offensive weapons include the almost-impossible-to-bring-down Deebo Samuel (two TDs Sunday), McCaffrey (145 yards rushing and one TD), and George Kittle (one TD).

And, oh yeah, we’re talking about the biggest surprise maybe ever, that quarterback guy Brock Purdy, who Sunday completed 19 passes in 27 attempts for 368 yards and two TDs.

The Purdy legend has been told many times but not enough for the 49ers Faithful, the last player picked in the draft — what were those scouts and assistant coaches looking for anyway? — who may be heading from the infamous Mr. Irrelevant to a more classy title, Most Valuable Player.

Another individual of value is Shanahan, whose decisions on personnel and game plans have been virtually unpredictable and eminently successful.

No, not every move works, but he has shown to be adaptable.

If something doesn’t work, then he’s very willing to try something else, although it’s hard to believe he would be willing to try a different quarterback.

“So many guys made big plays out of little plays,” a perfect summation of the reason the Niners kept getting into the end zone and when for a few moments they fell behind early in the second quarter, getting in front once more.

Shanahan’s specialty is offense — like the days of Bill Walsh. You almost can see the wheels turning in his brain, coming up with plays — but he well understands defense triumphs.  

Once more there will be a reference to the late John McKay, who went from a national championship at USC to become the first coach of the expansion Tampa Bay Bucs.  

“You win on defense,” said McKay. “If the other team doesn’t score you’ll never get worse than a 0-0 tie.”

The other team in this case, the Seahawks, did score against the Niners, but just enough to make the game interesting. Seattle had just 324 yards in offense, compared to 527.

And the linebacker Fred Warner had an interception, his fourth of his career, equaling the team record held by Keena Turner.

Big red machine, indeed.