Determining which loss hurt the 49ers’ chances to make the playoffs the most this season. What’s your answer?
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With the 49ers’ playoff hopes at nine percent, according to NFL.com’s playoff predictability formula, the seven losses for the team have all been somewhat painful—some more than others. To complete an unlikely run to the playoffs, the 49ers can only realistically lose one more game this season. The NFC West’s mediocre season is the team’s most likely path to a playoff berth.
The question is: which loss is the most painful?
Week 2 @ Minnesota
Coming off a win against the New York Giants, the Vikings and Sam Darnold were still viewed as inferior opponents for the 49ers. Little did we know that the Vikings would be near the top of the NFC heading into Week 14.
This game is frustrating due to the 49ers’ mistakes and how the Vikings provided the team with many chances to win. Following a three-and-out on the opening drive, the 49ers forced a Minnesota punt, which the 49ers followed with a patented special teams gaffe: they allowed a blocked punt. Luckily, the team held the Vikings to a field goal and was only down 3-0.
A 15-play drive from the 49ers would stall out at the goal line, and the Vikings hit right back with a 97-yard touchdown from Darnold to Justin Jefferson, giving the Vikings a 10-0 lead. The 49ers offense would turn the ball over on downs again, which led to the Vikings driving into the red zone looking for a death blow. Fred Warner saved the day with an interception in the red zone and tried to swing momentum for the team. George Kittle would punctuate a five-play, 65-yard drive with a seven-yard touchdown catch.
On the final drive of the first half, Darnold ran for 18 yards on 3rd and 10, a recurring theme for the 49ers’ defense in 2024. Minnesota kicked a field goal as the clock expired and took a 13-7 lead into the half.
The two teams would trade punts to open the second half, and the 49ers forced another punt, but again special teams were an issue. Jacob Cowing muffed the punt deep in 49ers’ territory, but it was recovered by Isaac Yiadom. The next drive would end with an interception, followed by an instant touchdown from Darnold to Jalen Nailor on a busted coverage to make the score 20-7. With the way Minnesota’s defense was playing, this felt like a lead they would not surrender.
The drives following would include a fumble by Brock Purdy, a fumble at the one-yard line caused by Warner (this game would be a blowout without him), a 99-yard touchdown drive finished off by Jordan Mason, a Minnesota field goal, and a 49ers field goal before the 49ers defense failed to get a stop on the final drive, allowing the Vikings to run the clock and win the game by a score of 23-17.
Week 3 @ Rams
The 49ers looked to get on track against their NFC West rivals following a frustrating loss in Minnesota. Deebo Samuel and George Kittle would miss this game, but it set the stage for Jauan Jennings’ breakout game. Jennings’s third touchdown reception gave the 49ers a 21-7 lead with 7:01 remaining in the third quarter.
The Rams responded with a Kyren Williams touchdown with 3:08 remaining to draw Los Angeles closer. Both teams traded field goals before the 49ers special teams imploded grandly with a Jake Moody missed field goal followed by another Rams touchdown to tie the game at 24. The 49ers held a ten-point lead with 6:56 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Purdy and the 49ers’ offense had a chance to win the game with 1:51 on the clock but punted following a critical Ronnie Bell drop on 2nd and ten. The punt coverage broke down, allowing a 38-yard return. A pass interference call on De’Vondre Campbell went for 25 more yards, and Williams ran for six yards before the Rams kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired.
Week 5 vs Arizona
Special teams. Notice a common theme? Arizona started the game off with a bang after a 50-yard Kyler Murray touchdown run where he pointed before even getting ten yards from the line of scrimmage. The 49ers would answer with ten points on the back of a Kittle touchdown grab and Moody field goal.
The second quarter would be a special teams bonanza. Arizona and San Francisco countered with field goals before Deommodore Lenoir blocked a Chad Ryland field goal and returned it 61 yards for a touchdown. The good vibes for the 49ers special teams would instantly turn bad as Moody suffered a high-ankle sprain on the ensuing kickoff, leaving punter Mitch Wishnowsky to take over kicking duties.
To Wishnowsky’s credit, he did drill a 26-yard field goal as time expired in the first half, giving the 49ers a 23-10 lead. The field goal would be the last points of the day as Arizona would put up 14 points to complete a 24-23 win. The 49ers offense turned the ball over four times in the second half (once on downs), including a critical fumble by Mason in the red zone with the 49ers up two.
Week 11 vs Seattle
The first loss of the 49ers’ current three-game losing streak was a costly one. Nick Bosa left the game with an oblique injury and still hasn’t returned to the lineup. At halftime, the game was 7-6 following two Seattle field goals and a Purdy rushing touchdown. Moody would make the game 10-6 with 9:26 remaining in the third quarter.
With 3:25 left in the third quarter, Kenneth Walker finished off an 11-play 70-yard touchdown drive with a one-yard plunge to give Seattle a 13-10 lead. The 49ers would engineer a 14-play, 70-yard drive that concluded with a three-yard touchdown grab by Jennings to put the 49ers up 17-13.
The 49ers defense would force a turnover on downs on 4th and one before punting the football back to Seattle. The drive began with an 11-yard run by Christian McCaffrey, but the 49ers would fail to keep the drive going as Jennings caught a five-yard pass on 3rd and 11.
You know the rest. Eleven plays later, Seattle had the lead with 12 seconds remaining following a Geno Smith scramble touchdown. Smith said “night, night” to the 49ers crowd and possibly their season.
Losses to Green Bay and Buffalo
Nobody believed the 49ers would win in Green Bay with Brandon Allen starting and Bosa and Trent Williams missing, but the performance was pitiful. Missed tackles, special teams issues, turnovers, and an overall lack of effort led to a Green Bay blowout.
Purdy returned against Buffalo in the snow, but it was more of the same with the 49ers missing Bosa and Williams again plus losing McCaffrey and Mason for the season before Buffalo rolled the 49ers on Sunday Night Football. Almost a mirror image of the prior week for the 49ers.
Which of the 49ers losses is the most painful in 2024? Let us know in the comments.