In just two short weeks, almost unbelievably, the 49ers will conduct exit interviews following the 18th week of what has been the season from hell. The pre-season tumult that Niners fans hoped and prayed would melt away once games got underway stuck around in the worst way possible. The season from hell trudged on Sunday in Miami, where in the 49ers first game at Hard Rock Stadium since Super Bowl LIV, they took another ugly loss that featured offensive ineptitude, disorganization on both sides of the ball, and a lack of fire that has followed San Francisco like a cloud of depression since the early days of training camp.
The Dolphins beat a 49ers team that was officially eliminated minutes before kickoff 29-17. San Francisco made far too many mistakes, both procedurally and physically. When it was all said and done, the Niners racked up 11 penalties for 90 total yards on Sunday, pretty much extinguishing any chance for a late game clutch win. Kyle Shanahan was asked about the miscues in the postgame.
Has the 49ers extensive injury list reasonably hurt Brock Purdy? Yes. Has Brock Purdy played poorly even given that built in excuse? Also yes. He’s just one of many Niners who have underperformed this year compared to sterling report cards in 2023. The pressure of reading a team with sky high expectations, coupled with perhaps stress stemming from a looming contract negotiation that will be chock full of controversy, may have taken a toll on the young QB. Despite it all, Purdy still thrives at the podium.
When it rains, it pours. So the cliche goes. And so went Nick Bosa after another disappointing loss. Bosa is one 49er who has been productive this year, albeit not quite the overwhelming game wrecker that his contract dictates. His defense has folded in the biggest moments in most of the 49ers’ 2024 losses. He spoke at his typical low volume in the post game in Miami, nearly five years after he sat at the podium as a rookie with a broken heart. Throughout his decorated career of six seasons, he’s experienced plenty of devastating losses, but this will be his first healthy season without the Niners making it to championship weekend. When it rained, it certainly poured this season.
The topic of defensive coordinator will, once again, be a hot button issue for SF in a few weeks. It’s been a revolving door for the last four years, which is certainly a good thing given that it involved DCs being poached by other teams for head coaching jobs. Now, not so much. The defense has been hampered by injuries almost just as much as the offense, but there has been a palpable lack of execution in late game scenarios that has contributed to the sinking ship.
A time of death has officially been called, even with the season being essentially dead since Geno Smith waltzed into the Levi’s Stadium north end zone in November. Time to regroup, Faithful.