The San Francisco 49ers started the 2024 season as one of the prohibitive Super Bowl favorites, looking to avenge their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs a year ago. But their season started off ominously, with holdouts, hold-ins, and injuries undermining any positive momentum the team could muster.
That morphed into a regular season of trials and tribulations, where the Niners never seemed to keep themselves above the .500 mark. They blew leads against all of their division rivals, never strung together wins, and were dominated by the cream of the crop against the NFL this year. Following their Week 11 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, they had already put themselves behind the 8-ball for a playoff position, but their crushing Week 16 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football left their playoff chances at below one percent.
The 49ers entered Week 16 needing their NFC West rivals to lose to keep them in the divisional race and for the Washington Commanders to lose to keep their fringe wild-card hopes alive.
Neither of those came to pass.
The Rams took care of business against the New York Jets, and off a last-second pass by Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels to wide receiver Jamison Crowder, San Francisco was officially eliminated from playoff contention.
For the 49ers, it is a fitting end to their season of misery, as they get eliminated from the playoffs before taking a snap in Week 16's road game against the Miami Dolphins.
But make no mistake, the Niners put themselves in this position with their countless execution issues and inability to finish games.
Now the season turns to playing for pride and seeing what the younger members of the 49ers roster can provide for the future. The Niners will head into this offseason no longer champions of the NFC, but just another underachieving team that will need to retool for the future.