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.