Niner Noise
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49ers decade in review: Ranking the 15 most infamous moments

By Peter Panacy

SEATTLE, WA - JANUARY 19: Cornerback Richard Sherman #25 of the Seattle Seahawks tips the ball up in the air as outside linebacker Malcolm Smith #53 catches it to clinch the victory for the Seahawks against the San Francisco 49ers during the 2014 NFC Championship at CenturyLink Field on January 19, 2014 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - JANUARY 19: Cornerback Richard Sherman #25 of the Seattle Seahawks tips the ball up in the air as outside linebacker Malcolm Smith #53 catches it to clinch the victory for the Seahawks against the San Francisco 49ers during the 2014 NFC Championship at CenturyLink Field on January 19, 2014 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /
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Mike Singletary, 49ers
Head coach Mike Singletary of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

No. 14: 49ers’ 0-5 Start to the 2010 Season

While the first half of the 2010s was one which marked a lot of success for San Francisco, the decade didn’t exactly get off to a hot start.

After an 8-8 finish under then-first-year head coach Mike Singletary, the 49ers were expected to be legitimate favorites to win the NFC West in 2010. Quarterback Alex Smith was hitting a halfway decent stride, running back Frank Gore was a force and the Niners were piecing together a number of key pieces on the defensive side of the ball.

But then this happened:

49ers 2010 Schedule & Game Results Table, Weeks 1-5
Scor Scor
Week Day Date OT Rec Opp Tm Opp
1 Sun September 12 4:16PM ET boxscore L 0-1 @ Seattle Seahawks 6 31
2 Mon September 20 8:36PM ET boxscore L 0-2 New Orleans Saints 22 25
3 Sun September 26 1:04PM ET boxscore L 0-3 @ Kansas City Chiefs 10 31
4 Sun October 3 1:03PM ET boxscore L 0-4 @ Atlanta Falcons 14 16
5 Sun October 10 8:30PM ET boxscore L 0-5 Philadelphia Eagles 24 27

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/16/2019.

Whatever the problems were, it was pretty apparent Singletary was in over his head during that 0-5 start. Offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye wouldn’t survive the season, and neither would Singletary.

Instead of being a team legitimately in position to compete for the playoffs, the 49ers’ eventual 6-10 finish would be one of the more frustrating campaigns in recent franchise history, squarely landing this horrendous start at No. 14 on our list of infamous moments of the decade.