2014: Harbaugh’s final year
In the fourth season with Jim Harbaugh at the helm, San Francisco began its season 1 – 2 for the second year in a row. Against Dallas, Chicago, and Arizona, San Francisco’s offense struggled in the second half, being outscored 52 – 3, a pattern that would continue the rest of the season. In week 4 against Philadelphia, San Francisco’s offense would shut down the Eagles’ high – powered offense, however key mistakes by quarterback Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers special teams kept the Eagles in the game, but won 26 – 21. In week 5, San Francisco welcomed home former quarterback Alex Smith and the Chiefs. The 49ers’ red – zone offense struggled, only scoring one touchdown in four trips. However, they won 22 – 17 with the help of kicker Phil Dawson. The next week, the 49ers on Monday Night Football trailed 14 – 0 in the first quarter, but scored 31 unanswered points to defeat the Rams 31 – 17.
On Sunday Night Football, San Francisco was overwhelmed by the Broncos’ high – powered offense and lost 42 – 17. Struggles on San Francisco’s offensive line would keep Colin Kaepernick under constant pressure in the game where he was dropped six times and intercepted. Key injuries on the defense would also play a huge factor. San Francisco’s offense struggled again as they failed to score a single point in the second half against the Rams and a goal – line fumble by Colin Kaepernick all but sealed a loss for the 49ers, dropping them to 4 – 4. Against the Saints, San Francisco’s second – half struggles appeared once more in a game where they were up 21 – 10 at the end of the first half, to trail 24 – 21 with under two minutes left in the game. Colin Kaepernick however found a wide – open Michael Crabtree for a 51 – yard gain to set up a Phil Dawson field goal to send the game into overtime. In overtime 49ers’ Ahmad Brooks would strip sack Saints quarterback Drew Brees to set up a game – winning field goal. By week 13 the 49ers were 7 – 4, however they dropped the next four games and were officially eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 2010, after losing to the Seahawks in week 15. San Francisco defeated the Cardinals 20 – 17 in their season finale and finished the season 8 – 8. After months of speculations, Harbaugh and the 49ers organization mutually parted ways(26) nearly an hour after his final win as head coach of the 49ers, ending his tenure with a record of 44 – 19 – 1.
2015 – 2016: Struggles after Harbaugh
Jim Tomsula was hired on January 14th, 2015, to replace Jim Harbaugh. Subsequently, Geep Chryst was promoted to offensive coordinator and Eric Mangini was hired as defensive coordinator. On March 10th, 2015, All – Pro linebacker Patrick Willis announced his retirement from the NFL due to repeated injuries to both feet(27). A week later on March 17th, linebacker Chris Borland, Patrick Willis presumed replacement, announced his retirement from the NFL due to the fears of the effects of head trauma(28). These two developments left the 49ers linebackers position group weakened as they headed into an offseason under first year head coach Jim Tomsula. Two other developments during the 49ers off season, the retirements of starters defensive end Justin Smith,(29) and right tackle Anthony Davis,(30) and the uncertainty of linebacker Aldon Smith’s(31) availability due to his legal issues.The 49ers signed running back Reggie Bush, wide receiver Torrey Smith, and defensive tackle Darnell Dockett(32). On October 22nd, in a battle with the rival Seattle Seahawks to stay out of last place in the NFC West, the 49ers fell to 2 – 5 with a 20 – 3 loss.(33)
On January 4th, 2016, the 49ers fired Tomsula after he led them to a 5 – 11 record.(34)
On January 14th, 2016, Chip Kelly was hired as head coach(35). Kelly’s tenure began with an empathic 28 – 0 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football(36). However, the team went on to lose 12 straight games as of December 16th, 2016. On October 21st, 2016, in an ESPN ranking of professional sports franchises, the 49ers were ranked the worst franchise in North America.(37)
On January 1st, 2017, the 49ers would fire head coach Chip Kelly along with manager Trent Baalke.(38)
On February 6th, 2017, the 49ers would hire Kyle Shanahan to be the next head coach who was the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons who had an explosive offense in their Super Bowl run during the 2016 season.(39)
2017 – present: Kyle Shanahan era
2017 – 2018: Rebuilding
The 49ers began the Kyle Shanahan era losing their first nine games of the 2017 season before winning their first game on November 12, 2017, against the New York Giants. The team’[s fortunes began to change after making a trade with the New England Patriots for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on October 31st, 2017(40). Garoppolo made his first start on December 3rd, 2017, leading the team to a five – game winning streak to end the season at 6 – 10. However, that momentum would not carry over into the 2018 season as the team struggled after Garoppolo tore his ACL on September 23rd, 2018, against the Kansas City Chiefs. Numerous key players suffered injuries leading them to finish the season at 4 – 12.
2019: Return to the Super Bowl
The 49ers revamped their roster before and during the 2019 season, such as drafting defensive end Nick Bosa, signing halfback Tevin Coleman, trading for veteran linebacker Dee Ford, and acquiring receiver Emmanuel Sanders from the Denver Broncos prior to the trade deadline. With Garoppolo back from injury, San Francisco jumped to an 8 – 0 start and eventually clinched the top seed in the NFC with a 13 – 3 record, thanks to improved play on both sides of the field. Behind Coleman, Matt Breida, and Raheem Mostert, the 49ers enjoyed a dominant running game by committee, finishing second in rushing yards and first in rushing touchdowns. Coupled with effective passing play from Garoppolo, the 49ers scored 479 points, the second most in the league. Defensively, they surrendered just 281.8 yards per game, also finishing with the league’s top pass defense and 48 sacks. In their first playoff appearance since losing to the rival Seattle Seahawks 23 – 17 in the 2013 NFC Championship game, the 49ers hosted the Minnesota Vikings in the divisional round, winning 27 – 10, before beating the Green Bay Packers 37 – 20 in the NFC conference game. This allowed San Francisco to clinch its seventh Super Bowl appearance and first since 2012(41). In the Super Bowl, they faced off with the Kansas City Chiefs, who were making their first trip to the Super Bowl since 1969. The 49ers defense was able to hold Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and their offense in check for most of the game, and led 20 – 10 with just over 8 minutes remaining. But a 3rd and 15 completion by Mahomes to Tyreek Hill swung momentum the other direction, and the Chiefs ripped off 21 straight points to win a thriller, 31 – 20, for their first Super Bowl championship in half a century. With the defeat, the 49ers failed to tie the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers for the most Super Bowl victories with 6. After the season ended, Nick Bosa was announced the 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year, having nine sacks, 32 solo tackles, including 16 for loss, and an interception for 46 yards.
2020
The 49ers would collapse during the 2020 season. The 49ers would suffer several losses to the team, including Jimmy Garoppolo and Nick Bosa, resulting in a total of at least 18 players being put in the injured reserve due to either injuries, opt – outs, or cases of COVID – 19 within the team. Without many of their players, the 49ers suffered a losing season of 6 – 10, making them last in their division, and they would miss the playoffs. As a result of the spreading COVID – 19 pandemic in the United States, home games in Santa Clara were canceled, and the team was forced to play their last three home games in Glendale, Arizona.
2021
As the season started, the 49ers drafted Trey Lance, a quarterback who was gained in a first – round pick (3rd overall) which was notable for being gained in exchange for its first – round selection (12th overall), a 2022 first – round selection, a 2022 third – round selection and a 2023 first – round selection to Miami in exchange(42). Despite the draft pick having been influential for the 49ers, Lance would still be benched in favor of Jimmy Garoppolo. Lance would go on to play in just two games, winning against the Texans in week 17(43). Another notable pick in the 49ers draft was seventh – round running back Elijah Mitchell, who would go on to gain 1,242 rushing yards and 7 rushing touchdowns, as well as one receiving touchdown.
They improved from their 2020 6 – 10 record and returned to the playoffs after a one – year absence. Despite starting 2 – 0, they would lose 4 consecutive games. After an embarrassing week 9 loss to an injury depleted Arizona Cardinals, the 49ers had a disappointing 3 – 5 record. But they would rebound and end the season winning 7 of their last 9 games, including a dramatic week 18 win over the Los Angeles Rams in which the 49ers fought back from a 17 – 0 deficit to win 27 – 24 in overtime, thus allowing them to finish in 3rd place in the NFC West with a 10 – 7 record and sneak into the playoffs as a number 6 seed(44). During the season, the 49ers showcased a well – rounded team, finishing top 10 in both total offense and total defense. The offense averaged 376 yards a game, good for 7th in the league while averaging 25.1 points a game. The defense was even better, giving up just 310 yards a game, good for 3rd overall. This included the 6th best pass defense and 7th best rush defense. The defense also generated 48 sacks during the season, 5th best in the league.
In the wild – card round, the 49ers upset the Dallas Cowboys 23 – 17. They would then upset the number one seeded Green Bay Packers 13 – 10 in the divisional round, thus advancing to the NFC Championship for the second time in 3 years. However, they lost to their division rival and eventual Super Bowl champion the Los Angeles Rams 20 – 17, cutting their season short.
2022: Emergence of Purdy and acquisition of McCaffery
After having an underwhelming start to their season, with notable season – ending injuries, combined with a 3 – 4 start before the bye week, the 49ers went on a 10 – game winning streak to finish at 13 – 4 and the number two seed of the playoffs after gaining running Christian McCaffery in a trade with the Carolina Panthers improving on their 10 – 7 record from the previous year after a week 16 win over the Washington Commanders. With a week 15 win over the Seattle Seahawks, and with the Rams and Cardinals both being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, they won the NFC West for the first time since 2019 and clinched a playoff berth, also becoming the NFL’s first team this season to win their division. The 49ers swept the NFC West for the first time since 1997, which included sweeping the Seahawks in the Wild Card round, San Francisco completed a 3 – 0 sweep of all three games played against Seattle, as well as a perfect 7 – 0 sweep against all teams in the NFC West. The next week, the 49ers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 19 – 12 in the Divisional round, defeating them in the playoffs for the second – consecutive season. However, the 49ers lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 31 – 7 in the NFC Championship in which injuries to third – stringer Brock Purdy and fourth stringer Josh Johnson during the game and first – stringer Trey Lance and second – stringer Jimmy Garoppolo previously in the season made the 49ers unable to stay competitive.
The season was highlighted by the emergence of rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, taken last in the 2022 NFL draft, who started after an injury to Jimmy Garoppolo (who himself replaced the injured Trey Lance after an injury in week 2) and went 5 – 0 as the starter to end the regular season before winning his first two playoff games. Purdy would set several records, including being the first rookie quarterback since Sammy Baugh in 1937 to have at least 200 passing yards and two pass scores in a playoff win, becoming the first Mr. Irrelevant to get a touchdown pass in a game, and being the first rookie quarterback to defeat Tom Brady in his first career start, beating the Buccaneers 35 – 7 in week 14. Purdy would end the season with an overall 7 – 1 record, 16 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions (including playoffs), becoming just one of five rookie quarterbacks to make it to the Conference Championship game(45). His passer rating of 119.4 was the highest rating for a quarterback in his first five starts since Kurt Warner in 1999.
Former Panthers running – back Christian McCaffery also had a notable season, despite joining in the middle of the season, as he had 746 rushing yards and 6 rushing touchdowns. 464 receiving yards and 4 receiving touchdowns, and 1 passing attempt which was returned by wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams during the victory, in which McCaffery became the first 49ers running back to record passing, rushing, and receiving touchdowns in the same game. McCaffery was the fourth player since the 1970 merger to complete the trifecta, and the first since 2005.(46)
2023: Critical player losses and re – signings
To start the season, the 49ers would lose 14 players to free agency, including quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who signed with the Las Vegas Raiders after spending 6 seasons with the team. The team also lost offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey and free safety Jimmie Ward.(48)
The team traded backup quarterback Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a fourth – round pick.(49)
After a 44 – day holdout, defensive end Nick Bosa, who had recently won the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year Award, signed a 5 – year, $170 – million-dollar contract, including $122.5 million dollars guaranteed. This contract made him the highest paid defensive player in NFL history.(50)
Meanwhile, the 49ers started with a 5 – 0 record for the first time since 2019 before heading into a 3 – game losing streak. They would later finish at 12 – 5 and later win the NFC West for the second straight season and earn the NFC’s number one seed of the playoffs.
The 49ers hosted the 7th seeded Green Bay Packers in the Division Round where the 49ers would go on to win the game 24 – 21. Additionally, this was also the first game between the number 7 seed and the number 1 seed since the playoff expansion in 2020. The 49ers hosted the heavily favored Detroit Lions where they trailed 24 – 7 at halftime and made a comeback and won 34 – 31. The 49ers advanced to Super Bowl LVIII, where they once again fell to the Kansas City Chiefs, 25 – 22 in overtime.
2024
The 2024 season saw the 49ers finish with a 6 – 11 record, in 4th place in the NFC West, missing the playoffs a year after reaching Super Bowl LVIII.(51)
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51. Maiocco, Matt (January 7, 2025). "Identifying
