The 49ers’ latest loss might be the one that ends their playoff hopes in 2024
The Buffalo Bills hosted the San Francisco 49ers in the epitome of a Western New York football game. It was cold, it was windy, and it was snowy. And, when the final play was over, it was certain that the curtain would fall on a Buffalo victory, as the Bills came out on top of a 35-10 romp.
The 49ers entered the game a battered, injury-riddled bunch, and they left it in worse shape than they were when the game began. In a weak NFC West, the season isn’t over, but if Kyle Shanahan’s crew is going to make the postseason for the fourth straight year, they’ll need to win some games without some of their best play makers.
Speaking of those play makers, here’s how our five 49ers to watch performed this week.
RB Christian McCaffrey
Early on, McCaffrey was absolutely unstoppable. He touched the ball eight times and gained 72 yards on the 49ers’ first two drives. Then, after an 18-yard run where a Taylor Rapp shoestring tackle was all that kept McCaffrey out of the end zone, he had just one more carry. On that touch, McCaffrey slid to the ground, giving himself up because he knew something was wrong.
That “something” turned out to be a PCL injury, which will take six weeks to heal. He was placed on Injured Reserve Monday. McCaffrey finished the game with seven carries for 53 yards and two catches for 14 yards.
WR Deebo Samuel
The best thing the 49ers did in this one was to have Samuel returning kicks. The Niners’ best plays were kickoff returns from Samuel, as he averaged 34.7 yards per return and had two huge run-backs in the second half. However, Samuel also lost a fumble on a kickoff return, albeit when the game was already well out of hand, and he didn’t do much on offense.
Samuel had four receptions for 20 yards on the game on a team-high five targets. Surprisingly, he did not handle one rushing attempt in the snow.
TE George Kittle
The star tight end didn’t have much action this week, as the Bills continued their trend of shutting down star tight ends. Before the bye, it was holding Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce to just two catches for eight yards. This week, they held Kittle to just one catch for seven yards. It happened on the first play from scrimmage.
Kittle dropped his other target, which was a screen pass from quarterback Brock Purdy in a third-and-long situation. Buffalo was great against the pass once again, and they locked Kittle down all night.
DE Leonard Floyd
The 2023 Buffalo Bills sack leader was present for this one, playing on 32 of San Francisco’s 58 defensive snaps. However, he was mostly a nonfactor in the game, as Floyd had just two tackles without a sack, quarterback hit, or tackle for loss.
Like the rest of San Francisco’s defensive front, Floyd was neutralized by a strong Buffalo offensive line. The core group of five starters plus sixth lineman Alec Anderson continued their stretch of strong play.
CB Charvarius Ward
Kudos to Ward for playing in the game, as it was the first contest for him since the passing of his daughter. Ward played every snap for the 49ers, and he accounted for five tackles, including a tackle for loss on the night. However, he was also the corner covering Mack Hollins when the shoeless wonder caught a touchdown pass, his career-high-tying fourth of the season, at the end of the first half.
There wasn’t much that Ward could have done, as he smothered Hollins and forced quarterback Josh Allen to make a perfect throw. Unfortunately for Ward, Allen obliged him, and Hollins made a beautiful catch to give the Bills a 21-3 edge before intermission.