Why this San Francisco 49ers playoff loss was different

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For much of Sunday’s 31-7 NFC Championship loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers fans experienced a sense of dread and inevitability that none of their last five playoff losses has accompanied.

Sunday’s loss, a game that went awry when Brock Purdy left with an elbow injury in the first quarter and fell apart after Josh Johnson lost a fumble late in the second quarter, was the first lopsided playoff loss the 49ers have suffered since 2003 of the year.

All five of San Francisco’s postseason losses in the last 11 years have been heartbreaking last-second wins, including a pair of missed double-digit wins in Super Bowl LIV and the 2022 NFC Championship Game.

This time, the loss came with a sense of resignation. Even before Jalen Hurts ran for a 1-yard touchdown in the last minute of the third quarter, a 14-point deficit seemed insurmountable due to Purdy’s injury, and was then forced back into the game with an injured hand when Johnson suffered a concussion.

Injuries dashed fans’ hopes early on. Christian McCaffrey’s 23-yard touchdown that tied the game at 7 midway through the second quarter provided a brief glimmer of hope, but Philadelphia immediately responded with a 20-game drive that chewed through almost seven minutes and ended with Miles Sanders. 13 yard touchdown. Three players later, Johnson missed a snap that was recovered by Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick, and Boston Scott ran for a 10-yard touchdown less than a minute later.

Debilitating injuries aren’t new to 49ers fans – Jimmy Garoppolo’s ill health torpedoed the 2018 and 2020 seasons – but San Francisco hasn’t lost a decisive playoff game since January 12, 2003, when they lost 31-6 to the eventual Super Cup Champion. Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It’s a different type of heartbreak than the heartbreaking defeats that ended previous “Quest for Six” bids. The only real intrigue in the fourth quarter came when a fight broke out four minutes before the end of the game, resulting in the 49ers left tackle being thrown by Trent Williams and Eagles defenseman K’Von Wallace.

Most 49ers fans don’t need a reminder of how their recent playoff runs ended, but a reminder for strangers: First, Kyle Williams returned in overtime for the 2011 NFC Championship game (played in January 2012, but to end the 2011 season), which provided the New York Giants with the game-winning field goal. A year later, the Nines almost bounced back from a 28-6 loss in Super Bowl XLVII against the author’s favorite team, the Baltimore Ravens, only to falter on the goal line in the final minutes when offensive coordinator Greg Roman pulled out of a run. Roman later became Baltimore’s offensive coordinator and angered fans and players on the East Coast before resigning earlier this month.

A year later, San Francisco was on the verge of returning to the Super Bowl when Seattle Seahawks defenseman Richard Sherman predicted Colin Kaepernick’s game-winning touchdown pass to linebacker Malcolm Smith for an interception, followed by Sherman’s memorable interview. it has become synonymous with the 49ers-Seahawks rivalry.

On February 2, 2020, the 49ers led the Kansas City Chiefs 20–10 in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LIV and held the ball after Tarvarious Moore tackled Patrick Mahones in the red but lost the final 21 points of the game. After the Chiefs took a 24-20 lead on Mahomes’ short touchdown to Damien Williams, Garoppolo outplayed a wide-open Emmanuel Sanders in what could have been an unmistakable touchdown. Frank Clark sacked Garoppolo in the next game with a loss on downs, and the Chiefs won an insurance touchdown two games later.

Last year, after spectacular back-to-back road wins against the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers, the 49ers traveled to Los Angeles to face the Rams they had beaten in the regular season and led 17-7 to 1 : 59 out in the third quarter but lost 13-0 in the fourth quarter. Garoppolo was intercepted by Travin Howard in the final two minutes to seal the game, sealing another lost playoff lead for head coach Kyle Shanahan.

This time there was no such shock as the last minutes ticked by. The carpet was not pulled out at the last moment. Thoughts have already turned to the severity of Purdy’s injury and potential targets in the upcoming draft.

For now, the 49ers won’t have a choice until the end of this year’s third round draft, which is scheduled for April 27-29 in Kansas City. They traded their early picks last year for draft pick Trey Lance and acquired Christian McCaffrey in October, but the Niners face three back-to-back picks at the end of the third round.

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