This is not where the San Francisco 49ers expected to be at this point in the season.
Following an overtime Super Bowl loss last season, the defending NFC champions had more than just playoff aspirations.
Now, especially after a Week 16 loss on the road against the Miami Dolphins, they are 6-9 and guaranteed to their first losing record in four seasons. That is also the last time the Niners failed to qualify for the postseason, which is again the case after head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad found out it was eliminated from playoff contention mere minutes before kickoff.
The game didn't start off all bad. After only being down 3-0 entering the second quarter, San Francisco took the lead and then went into halftime with just a three-point deficit.
Sunday marked the fifth loss for the 49ers in their last six games. Since they were 5-4, the only win by San Francisco came in the 25-point blowout against the struggling Chicago Bears.
Alas, let's take a look at the winners and the losers of the 49ers' latest blunder (which at least helps their NFL Draft position for 2025).
Loser: 49ers defense
Giving up 29 points to a team that was also two games under .500 doesn't make for an easy win. That's why it should come to no one's surprise the Niners dropped their ninth game this season.
Sunday marked the 10th game this season in which San Francisco's defense gave up 23 points or more. Only two of those contests ended with a victory.
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovalioa was able to throw for 215 yards while completing almost 65 percent of his passes. The 49ers' secondary failed to force any turnovers from the quarterback, who threw three picks in Miami's 20-12 loss to the Houston Texans last week.
The Niners also were burned by Miami's rushing attack to a good degree as running back De'Von Achane had 120 yards rushing on just 17 carries, including a 50-yard scoring run late in the fourth quarter.
The Dolphins running back also hauled in six catches for another 70 yards. That gave him 190 total yards against San Francisco.
While San Francisco was shut out in two of the game's four quarters, Miami put up at least a field goal or more in all four. That allowed them to score 29 points with ease even without wide receiver Jaylen Waddle playing and fellow receiver Tyreek Hill racking up less than 30 receiving yards.
Winner: Tight end George Kittle
Tight end George Kittle is again playing some his best football this season. Against the Dolphins, he had eight receptions on nine targets while clearing more than 100 yards.
The former Iowa Hawkeye has now had 100-plus receiving yards in two of his last three games. In his prior 12 games, Kittle registered only one such game with 100 yards or more.
He is on pace to tally 1,000 receiving yards in a season for the second year in a row and the fourth time in his career.
At 31 years old, Kittle may not be the long-term answer at the position for San Francisco.
Yet, he is encouraging the 49ers' front office to keep him around a little bit longer with his strong play.
Sunday was just another instance to prove Kittle still has it.
Loser: Patrick Taylor Jr. and the 49ers' run game
We get it. Injuries have demolished the Niners' depth chart at running back. First was the season-ending injury to Elijah Mitchell. Then, it was the uncertainty with the reigning 2024 Offensive Player of the Year, Christian McCaffrey. Third-year pro Jordan Mason filled in rather nicely early on before landing on injured reserve, while rookie running back Isaac Guerendo was ruled out for Week 16 because of a hamstring issue.
Insert Patrick Taylor Jr., who averaged just 3 yards a carry. He collected 24 yards on eight rushes and failed to enter the end zone.
In fact, wide receiver Deebo Samuel had more rushing yards than Taylor and with less carries, too.
Fullback Kyle Juszczyk had one carry for 6 yards, but it was quarterback Brock Purdy who was the team's leading rusher with just 26 yards on four carries.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan saw his offense utilize 18 rushing plays to net 81 yards.
A healthy running back room will fix the 49ers' rushing woes. For now, they can only hope for the best or better than this last performance.
Winners: Linebacker Fred Warner and cornerback Renardo Green
While San Francisco's defense struggled mightily, there were at least two strong showings on the field: linebacker Fred Warner and cornerback Renardo Green, who combined for 21 total tackles.
Warner had 11 tackles (six solo) in the game and remains one of the lone bright spots on the defense this year.
The All-Pro managed to clear 100-plus total tackles again in his career, which marks the seventh straight year in his NFL tenure.
Green, meanwhile, had seven solo tackles and also had one of the team's five passes defended.
The rookie had only 30 solo tackles entering this contest but showed promise in an otherwise dismal defensive showing by San Francisco.
Loser: Defensive coordinator Nick Sorenson
If we are playing the blame game, specifically on the defense, it should be directed to the 49ers' defensive coordinator.
Nick Sorenson failed to contain Tagovailoa enough to neutralize his productivity, and the Dolphins quarterback has been taken down for 21 sacks in the 10 games he played prior to Sunday.
Not only did the 49ers fail to record a sack, they only had one quarterback hit. That was by Maliek Collins, who barely saw action on the field.
For a team that had championship aspirations, the Niners under-performed in an area they were expected to capitalize on. San Francisco ranks in the middle of the league in terms of sacks.
Furthermore, Sorenson's defense failed to keep the Dolphins out of field-goal range. Miami kept its postseason hopes alive by connecting on five field goals, all of which were at least 33 yards out or more.
Winner/Loser: Quarterback Brock Purdy
Well, this one is simply a toss-up. One could argue that Purdy played a fairly decent game.
San Francisco's starting quarterback threw for a pair of touchdowns and over 300 yards for the fourth time this season. However, Purdy threw another interception that killed any chances the 49ers had to pull off a late win, making this his third pick in the last five games. The Niners are 1-4 in that stretch.
Purdy is certainly under scrutiny and extreme observation. His rookie contract is set to expire following the next season, and with the salary cap expected to increase once more, San Francisco is faced with a major decision on whether or now to extend the former Iowa State Cyclone.
The latest showing left mixed feelings on the matter.
Despite banged-up wide receiver and running back rooms, the 49ers were trusting that Purdy could pull off a win against a Miami team that entered this game as losers in two of its last three games.
There may not be an enticing selection available at quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft come April. Plus, the 49ers may not also be enticed by the veteran market this offseason, whether it be via a trade or in free agency.
Thus, Purdy may not be a clear winner or loser in this game. Yet, he did just enough to keep the discussion going in the closing weeks of the 2024 NFL season.