The San Francisco 49ers lost 20-17 to the Seattle Seahawks in the final minutes of the divisional matchup Sunday. The costly loss could be the very reason the 49ers don’t reach the playoffs as the San Francisco squad is now 1-3 in the NFC West.
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A 13-yard scamper from Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith in the final seconds of the game was the deciding touchdown. The play by Smith left players and fans in shock.
“Just extremely disappointed,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said. “We had a chance to put them away a number of times throughout the game. … Penalties killed us…Our defense played great all game until that last drive. If you let people hang around, that’s what happens.”
San Francisco has blown fourth quarter leads to every NFC West opponent this season. The Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals, and Seahawks have all come back from deficits to beat the 49ers.
The 49ers have a 90 percent win probability with just over three minutes remaining, but the San Francisco defense fell apart.
A team that was once the powerhouse of the division, has crumbled. The 49ers are once again at .500 with a 5-5 record. The 49ers upcoming scheduled doesn’t bode well for the team’s playoff hopes as they will face the Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills in consecutive weeks.
San Francisco tried to orchestrate several rushing attacks around Deebo Samuel, but almost all of them resulted in negative plays. Samuel’s runs weren’t effective against Seattle.
The 49ers were slated as one of the best teams in the NFC ahead of the season. Halfway through the year, San Francisco is an average team that is last in its division.
The amount of weapons the 49ers offense has in its arsenal and to score only 17 points at home is downright mind-boggling. Although Christian McCaffrey missed eight games, he was used as if he had been playing all season as 45 percent of San Francisco’s total play went to him. Jordan Mason hardly left the bench, despite proving he could aid the 49ers on the ground.
Championship teams don’t lose in the manner that San Francisco lost. Shanahan needs to re-evaluate how the team approaches each and every game.
The 49ers are 11 weeks into the season, but have failed to put together four quarter of good football in a majority of their games.
The reality is that San Francisco is no longer a championship contender. Instead, the 49ers are a struggling team with a disappointing record. It wouldn’t be outlandish to say that the window for the 49ers to win a Super Bowl might be long gone.
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