The San Francisco 49ers lost an ugly one in Week 15, losing to the Atlanta Falcons by a final score of 41-13. The 49ers dropped to 1-13 with the loss, while the Falcons improved to 9-5 and maintain their tiebreaker lead in the NFC South.
This was a hideous affair. I say disaster in the headline, but given that we know how bad this team is, does it really quality as a disastrous performance at this point? Or is it just business as usual?
The 49ers fell behind 21-0, and while they showed some life on a couple drives, it was a disastrous performance. They gave up 243 rushing yards, with Devonta Freeman rushing for 139 yards and three touchdowns. Tevin Coleman added 58, and Terron Ward managed 52 more in the fourth quarter. It was an awful display.
The offense had two good drives, but otherwise could get nothing going. Carlos Hyde rushed for 71 yards, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. The run game remains solid, but there’s nothing to complement it and create some kind of sustained success. Colin Kaepernick was 20-of-33 for 183 yards and two touchdowns, but he was 5-of-12 for 40 yards in the second half.
Injuries were one of the big stories of the day for the 49ers. They lost several players on both sides of the ball throughout the game. ILB Nick Bellore (elbow), CB Jimmie Ward (shoulder), TE Blake Bell (shoulder), C Marcus Martin (ankle), and WR Quinton Patton (foot) all suffered injuries that resulted in their departure from the game. We’ll find out in the next couple days how serious some of these are, but given the volume, I would not be surprised if at least one or two resulted in the players getting shut down the final two weeks.
Up next: at Los Angeles Rams (4-10) on Christmas Eve
We don’t really have to watch this game, do we? This counts as a little coal in the stocking.