MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – 5 years after shedding Tremendous Bowl LIV right here, the 49ers’ return to Laborious Rock Stadium cruelly coincided with their elimination from this season’s playoff competition — even earlier than kicking off Sunday’s 29-17 loss to the Dolphins.
Earlier victories by the NFC West-leading Los Angeles Rams and the wild card-seeking Washington Commanders formally extinguished the 49ers’ minuscule playoff possibilities, projected at lower than 1%.
Thus, the outgoing NFC champions are taking part in out the string. Their residence finale is on Monday night time, Dec. 30 towards NFC-leading Detroit, then the 49ers’ season closes Jan. 5 on the Arizona Cardinals, who led the NFC West in Week 11 however have been additionally eradicated from competition Sunday.
“We still have two weeks of football left, and if I have football in front of me, I’m going to play as hard as I possibly can, and I’m going to try to get the guys around me to do the same,” tight finish George Kittle mentioned.
Many hallmarks of this 6-9 season resurfaced Sunday: accidents to a number of starters, a season-high 11 penalties, no takeaways, special-teams woes, and a late-game interception of Brock Purdy, who was hit within the means of that midfield miscue. That every one — after which some — spoiled the 49ers’ first assembly towards the Dolphins at Laborious Rock Stadium since 2016.
George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers makes a catch through the second quarter towards the Miami Dolphins at Laborious Rock Stadium on Dec. 22, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photograph by Megan Briggs/Getty Photos)
Coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned the 49ers already dealt this previous week with “the vibe” of being a non-playoff workforce, a destiny basically sealed after their Dec. 12 loss to the Rams. Sunday’s official pregame elimination had no bearing on this sport’s method, Shanahan and a number of other gamers mentioned.
As a substitute, Shanahan was dismayed by his offense’s “lack of concentration,” akin to rookie Ricky Pearsall’s two unlawful formation penalties in a four-snap span, in addition to three pointless roughness penalties after halftime on defenders Talanoa Hufanga, Jordan Elliott and Deommodore Lenoir.
“Penalties killed us, (and) not taking the ball away,” linebacker Fred Warner mentioned. “One takeaway in the last five games is just not going to get it done. I challenged the defense at half, saying we needed to take the ball away to win the game, and we didn’t do that.”
The final time they stepped on this subject, the 49ers fell to the Chiefs 31-20 in Tremendous Bowl LIV after Kansas Metropolis rallied within the fourth quarter and Jimmy Garoppolo infamously overthrew an open Emmanuel Sanders. This time, the 49ers’ last-ditch comeback ended when Purdy bought intercepted with underneath two minutes remaining. The 49ers had pulled inside 19-17 on Purdy’s 2-yard landing move to Eric Saubert with 12 minutes to go.
“It hurts going through it, but I still have all the faith in the world in what we can do moving forward,” mentioned Purdy, who accomplished 26-of-40 passes for 313 yards and met childhood hero Dan Marino in pregame warmups.
It wouldn’t be a 49ers defeat with out extra well being points, from a first-series exit by linebacker Dre Greenlaw (proper calf; not left Achilles), to second-half leg accidents for left deal with Jaylon Moore (quadriceps) and left guard Aaron Banks (knee; medial collateral ligament). Linebacker Dee Winters, Greenlaw’s alternative, left late with a chest damage.
Greenlaw was making the second begin in his comeback from his Achilles tear in February’s Tremendous Bowl, and after exiting 30 snaps into his scintillating season debut, he was shut down after his proper calf tightened. Shanahan, Warner and Bosa all mentioned the 49ers want to guard Greenlaw from himself.
Miami Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks (20) tackles San Francisco 49ers working again Patrick Taylor Jr. (32) through the first half of an NFL soccer sport, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photograph/Rebecca Blackwell)
The 49ers offense struggled to run, and Patrick Taylor Jr. gained simply 24 yards (eight carries) as their fourth totally different beginning working again this season.
Purdy properly turned to stalwarts George Kittle and Deebo Samuel for classic efforts. Kittle closed in on his fourth profession 1,000-yard season, reaching 967 yards Sunday with 106 yards on eight catches. Samuel totaled 96 receiving yards (seven catches) and 25 dashing yards (5 carries), and recorded solely his second receiving landing this season by bounding by means of 4 defenders on a 16-yard catch-and-run for an early lead.
“George and Deebo, their heart and fight for our team and trying to get things going for us, you see it, and I’m very, very proud to play with them and their love for everybody on the field,” Purdy mentioned.
The 49ers’ first drive after halftime outlined their season in a nutshell: a starter bought harm (Moore), a galling alignment penalty was referred to as (Pearsall’s second for unlawful formation nullified Samuel’s catch-and-run to the two), a third-down incompletion got here after a foul block (by Spencer Burford in his left deal with debut), and a particular groups gaffe surfaced (Jake Moody missed a 41-yard field-goal try).
In Sunday’s fourth quarter, Purdy’s offensive line consisted of hardly ever used backups on his blindside. Burford was at left deal with rather than Moore, who began a fifth straight sport rather than Trent Williams. Nick Zakelj took over at left guard when Aaron Banks exited within the fourth quarter with a knee damage.
Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers throws a move through the second quarter towards the Miami Dolphins at Laborious Rock Stadium on Dec. 22, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photograph by Carmen Mandato/Getty Photos)
Sunday’s postseason elimination didn’t instantly flip Shanahan right into a free-wheeling play-caller. He declined to go for it on fourth-and-1 on their opening drive, and he opted for a 21-yard subject aim by Moody after a third-and-goal incompletion from the three.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, Shanahan’s longtime protégé, wasn’t any extra aggressive. The Dolphins bought 5 subject targets from Jason Sanders, the final of which got here with 2 minutes remaining.
The 49ers surrendered their solely lead 3:20 earlier than halftime, when Tyreek Hill scored on a 3-yard landing catch towards Charvarius Ward, Hill’s Chiefs teammate after they beat the 49ers in Tremendous Bowl LIV right here. It was Tua Tagovailoa’s a centesimal profession landing move, and it put Miami forward 13-7.
Samuel had put the 49ers forward 7-3 with 2021-like dominance and dedication on the second snap of the second quarter. He scored on a 16-yard catch-and-run, first catching it on the 10-yard line, then banging off a trio of defenders and in the end dragging a fourth Dolphin throughout the aim line.
Such highlights have been too few from him and the 49ers total on this underachieving season.
“We’ve been in the highest of highs for a long time and sometimes things don’t go your way, and a lot of it is because of what we’ve done, obviously,” Nick Bosa mentioned. “Just have to appreciate playing this game. I don’t think I’ve played a game where we don’t really have a chance in the playoffs, so it was a different feel.”
Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins throws a move towards Maliek Collins #99 and Nick Bosa #97 of the San Francisco 49ers through the first quarter at Laborious Rock Stadium on Dec. 22, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photograph by Megan Briggs/Getty Photos)
Initially Revealed: December 22, 2024 at 4:33 PM PST
