SANTA CLARA, Calif. — It was the kind of resilient stand the San Francisco 49ers needed in what was largely an uninspiring performance. And the defense responded like you’d expect in a critical game against an inferior team.
The 49ers stuffed Seattle on fourth-and-1, building a wall at the line of scrimmage for Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet to crash against. The penetration of defensive tackle Jordan Elliott, the aggressiveness of linebacker Dee Winters and safety Ji’Ayir Brown charging through the hole with force.
But it was winning time, and the defense delivered. The 49ers, ahead by four, got the ball back with 3:56 left on their own 37.
So, here is what was supposed to happen.
The home team marches down the field, scores the game-winning touchdown and goes home. The Super Bowl hopefuls, on a mission to avenge their February heartback, seize the moment to put a mediocre team in its place.
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Brock Purdy, Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey, Jauan Jennings — somebody makes a big play and sends Levi’s Stadium into a frenzy with a touchdown that zaps the hope out of their guests. The 49ers move two games above. 500 and feel good heading into back-to-back road games in the cold. It felt as if such a drive was coming after McCaffrey weaved his way to 11 yards on first down.
So, here is what actually happened.
A 1-yard loss on a McCaffrey sweep left on the drive’s second play. An airmailed throw from Purdy to Samuel on second down. A feeble completion to Jennings six yards shy of the sticks on third down.
The 49ers’ vaunted offense, with a chance to secure the victory, managed 16 yards in five plays — plus an extra five on a Seattle penalty. San Francisco burned all of a minute, 11 seconds off the clock.
“Just stay on the field,” Purdy said, “try to move the chains, get them to use their timeouts and run out the clock. And we failed in that area. … Gotta stay on the field, find a way.”
Of course, the disappointment wouldn’t be complete without a contribution from special teams. Pat O’Donnell, the backup punter, failed to pin the Seahawks deep in their territory. His punt sailed down the center of the field and landed inside the 5-yard line before bouncing into the end zone. Seattle, which didn’t employ a punt returner, started at the 20.
It’s easy to blame the defense for giving up the ensuing game-winning, 11-play, 80-yard drive to Seattle quarterback Geno Smith — who scrambled twice for 29 yards on the drive, including the 13-yard scamper for a touchdown that stole victory from the 49ers.
With 12 seconds left, @GenoSmith3 does it himself. 👏 pic.twitter.com/QXR3jEodxh
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) November 18, 2024
But the main culprit is the 49ers’ underwhelming offense. Its impotence again had a dooming effect on the outcome.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan, the reputed wizard of play calling, can’t seem to get his side of the ball right. Which is a major problem considering winning in the NFL requires potent offense. Not just the ability to score, but the capacity and acumen to do so in the toughest moments of games.
This 20-17 home loss to the Seahawks was a spinning kick to the ribs. The kind that condemns a team’s spirit. Even the locker room cleared out quickly. No lugubrious vibes. No outbursts of frustration. No we’ll-be-OK smiles. No plausible explanations given. It was almost as if no one seemed stunned enough anymore to wallow in the heartbreak.
“I’m just extremely disappointed,” Shanahan said. “I thought we had a chance to put them away a number of times throughout the game. I thought the penalties we had on a number of drives killed us. … Still should have put it away there on that last drive and had every opportunity to and missed a couple of opportunities to do that. And when we did that, we gave them a chance.”
This was the third loss this season the 49ers can accurately declare they should’ve won. Once is a fluke. Twice is concerning. Thrice is a red flag, a coach’s challenge on the legitimacy of the defending NFC champs.
Forget watching what Detroit is doing or keeping tabs on Minnesota. Missing the playoffs is on the table. Winning the division is now a long shot. The 49ers simply have to find their potency on offense.
Including the postseason, Sunday’s loss was the 49ers’ ninth straight when scoring 20 points or fewer. They would’ve loved 20 points on Sunday. Managing just 17 is like getting a paycheck much smaller than expected.
“We have to be better,” left tackle Trent Williams said. “We have to execute better. We have to put more than 17 points on the board if we want to win a divisional game.”
The 49ers are now 5-31 under Shanahan when scoring 17 points or fewer.
When they score 30 or more under Shanahan: 46-4.
Remember when they could roll out of bed and score 25? Remember when a Brock Purdy-led offense had to work hard to not score 35 points?
Last season, the 49ers finished third in points. Entering this season, the offense averaged 29.6 points with McCaffrey. Last season, they scored 40 points or more three times — tied for their most since 1995. The 49ers were second only to the Lions in fourth-quarter touchdowns last season, when they knew how to put teams away.
They’ve peaked at 36 points this season and reached 30 in four games. Three of them against losing teams. The other to these Seahawks up in Seattle.
The return of McCaffrey wasn’t the magic potion. The absence of Kittle loomed large, as does not having the Aiyuk from last season stretching the field.
Injuries have been a problem. Brandon Aiyuk, their best route runner, is out for the year. George Kittle, whose value often gets lost in the contingency of stars, missed Sunday. McCaffrey missed the first eight games. These are legit holes in what they do. But the 49ers still have as much talent as their opponents, more in most cases.
The malaise they continuously have to snap themselves out of midgame is a byproduct of three straight long seasons playing until at least late January.
The rough training camp — featuring the holdouts of Aiyuk and Williams, McCaffrey missing the preseason, and first-round pick Ricky Pearsall nearly having his life taken away — figured to doom the 49ers to a slow start.
The first-place schedule didn’t do them any favors.
And Seattle was the third consecutive team the 49ers played that was coming off a bye week. So while the Niners are hardly fresh, their opponents have been.
But if you close your eyes, drown out the ambient noise and listen close, really listen, those sound just like excuses.
True contenders find a way. The best in the game figure it out. The 49ers find a way.
However, they don’t seem to have that swag this season. Could they get it? Of course. But performances like Sunday’s don’t inspire confidence they will flip a switch.
It’s reasonable if they don’t have it this season. This was Game No. 70 in four years. That’s a lot of mileage. A lot of battles. A lot of football. Only one other team has played more. Kansas City played No. 71 today. Proof of how true contenders get it done.
“Up next is Green Bay,” Purdy said. “We have to be all in on that and not look up (in the standings). We just have to not look down, do our jobs and get better as a unit.”
That’s how it should go.
(Top photo of 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey getting tackled during Sunday’s game: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images)
