Is it as bad, or is it worse?
Throughout the San Francisco 49ers’ frustratingly disappointing 2024 campaign, you probably have seen references to the 2020 season. For those who don’t know or were unsuccessful in repressing it, 2020 was the last time the 49ers came off a Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. And the season wasn’t enjoyable.
Now that 2024 is nearing its end, the question is: Is this worse than that period?
To bring 2020 into perspective, that was the COVID year. Already, reading that word makes things weird; crowds were removed, noise was pumped into empty stadiums, and players attended a significantly abridged training camp.
The 49ers had a stadium but lost it in the season’s final weeks due to the pandemic. They then played their final three games at State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals, which is even worse.
The season itself was just as awkward. Things began with an opening game to those same Arizona Cardinals. The 49ers quickly got to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, giving an impression the team was pissed at how 2019 ended.
This was five minutes into the first quarter.
After the promising start, a special teams blunder (even then) got the Cardinals back into the game. This special teams gaffe came courtesy of a blocked punt the Cardinals recovered at the 49ers’ 10-yard line. As you might expect, they scored a touchdown to make it 10-7. Mistakes followed, and the 49ers lost the game by four points, 24-20.
Week 2 was even worse, and the 49ers actually won that game. Jimmy Garoppolo, Raheem Mostert, Tevin Coleman, Nick Bosa, and Solomon Thomas all left the game. The latter two being done for the season due to knee injuries. It got so bad the MRI truck broke down during the game.
Nick Mullens filled in for Garoppolo, and since this was the Jets, he managed to win the game, but the damage was done. By the second week, it was apparent that the 49ers were not running it back to the Super Bowl.
Garoppolo’s injury had him in and out of the lineup for the entire season, and while he was even more erratic than usual, he remained the best option.
Sure, Week 4 showed us Bradon Aiyuk highlights (his rookie season), but Nick Mullens returned to earth, throwing some really weird passes (you want to see why it’s not all bad with Brock Purdy; watch Nick Mullens in this game).
By this point, even true believers knew this season wasn’t meant to be. The Seattle Seahawks manhandled the 49ers in Seattle, and in their game at home in Arizona, they played with their 49ers food, waking up in the fourth quarter to score 20 points.
So what were the positives? Well, Brandon Aiyuk was one. He showed he had a future in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. The 49ers also beat the Los Angeles Rams twice, with Mullens even behind center for the win in Los Angeles. It’s important to note that the Rams had a significant home-field advantage this year; since their stadium lacked spectators, 49ers fans couldn’t overrun the stadium as they do for every Rams-49ers game in Southern California. For the first time, the Rams at least played the 49ers in their “home” stadium against what could be a neutral crowd and not a hostile one.
The 2020 season in two words: It sucked.
The season was equal parts awful and plain weird. Injuries happened out of nowhere (as I’ve said before, if you are surprised by them by this point, you haven’t been a fan for very long), blowouts the 49ers were good at avoiding were handed out like candy, and the loss of the stadium put a dagger in the morale.
Oh, and we haven’t even gotten to the worst part. Since the season did a number on them, the 49ers at least had a good draft selection to reload. They made the right move (I will die on this hill) to trade up to No. 3 to get a quarterback because Garoppolo wasn’t it. Garoppolo’s failure to win the Super Bowl the year prior, combined with numerous injuries and lousy decision-making, made him unreliable and not worth the money he’d want in an extension. Unfortunately, the 49ers traded two future first-rounders to move up to third overall and took Trey Lance.
Again, it was the right move. It was the proper selection. It just didn’t work out. Because, 49ers. Hindsight is always 2020, but that could have been a defensive selection to help the ailing line. Or, dare I say it, another guard or tackle to prepare for the eventual Mike McGlinchey departure.
Now, we are nearing the end of the 2024 season. Is this much worse? It’s less weird, for sure, but it still carries its own brand of strangeness. There’s no COVID backdrop this time. The laundry list of injuries gradually piled on week over week rather than abruptly showing up in Week 2.
Psychologically, there were way more distractions—and not what you’re thinking. Yes, the Brandon Aiyuk contract drama had a hand in his production; there is no denying that. I’m talking more about personal issues. Before the season even began, the 49ers’ rookie wide receiver got shot in the chest. During the season, not one but two players lost a young child.
If you, as a fan, are exhausted by now, think about what that team feels like. The season isn’t even over yet.
2024 was a frustrating disappointment. A disaster. Though not to the levels of 2020. 2020 was a nightmare of a season because, by Week 2, anyone capable of level-headedness knew this wouldn’t work. 2024 at least gave us hope that the 49ers could get out of the mess they were in until around the Chiefs or second Seahawks game, where it was apparent the 49ers couldn’t work their way out of a wet paper bag.
But do you think 2020 was worse? Will you take that over in 2024 instead?