If one image could summarize the San Francisco 49ers' season in 2024, it would be cornerback Isaac Yiadom lying on the ground after trying to reach out and tackle Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, scampering into the end zone for a game-winning touchdown in the Niners' Week 11 defeat at Levi's Stadium.
Yiadom's objective was just a couple of yards away, but he could not make it.
Yiadom, of course, represents San Francisco as a whole this season. From starting training camp with offensive stars Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams holding out to the incessant run of injuries that have destabilized both the offense and defense, the 49ers have never gotten off on the right foot. Their Week 1 win against the New York Jets was overshadowed by the mysterious absence of All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, and two losses of worsening quality soon followed.
The Niners have given away games through special-teams gaffes (a blocked punt against the Minnesota Vikings, a missed field goal and poor punt coverage against the Los Angeles Rams, losing their kicker against the Arizona Cardinals) and through terrible execution in critical moments. The dam San Francisco's defense puts up has broken time and again when it matters most, and the offense has looked downright stagnant in critical situations, especially the red zone.
Despite all that, there was still hope the 49ers would re-emerge as the class of the NFC, mostly because of who was not on the field. Red-zone and third-down inefficiency would be solved by McCaffrey, and the defensive malaise would be snapped away by still-injured linebacker Dre Greenlaw.
Greenlaw still sits on the sidelines, but with CMC back in the fold, it was time for these execution errors to go away.
Spoiler alert: They did not.
The 49ers' Week 11 loss to the Hawks is disappointing in its own right; it was a must-win situation to keep pace with the Cardinals, stabilize the divisional record, and prepare for an upcoming gauntlet. The Niners scored field goals instead of touchdowns, they committed far too many penalties (nine in total in key spots), and with the ball in hand and a chance to end the game, they could not convert a first down.
Quarterback Brock Purdy, in particular, overthrew wide receiver Deebo Samuel on a clearly open in-breaking play-action pass. Little things like that allowed Seattle back into the game, and San Francisco's defense could not stop the Seahawks from marching 80 yards down the field in around two minutes.
All of these issues are frustrating on their own, but the real issue is how repetitive it seems. That same discussion could apply to games against the Rams or the Cardinals, both where San Francisco blew a fourth-quarter lead.
This game, though, feels different.
With no buffer remaining, it felt like the time for the 49ers to switch gears and find a level they have shown the NFL over the course of the last five years. But it never came.
They now face an impressive streak of teams, starting at the Green Bay Packers, while staring at last place in the NFC West.
There remains hope that San Francisco might find that spark and run the table. After all, this is the same bones of a team one stop away from winning the Super Bowl last February.
But that hope feels misplaced, despite all the talent that might return. At this point of the season, the 49ers have shown the NFL who they are.
At least this season, that does not look good enough.