The 49ers started out strong Sunday, scoring their first first-quarter touchdown of the season and almost matching their NFL-low season scoring average of 14.4 points per game with 14 points just 3½ minutes into the second quarter.
Unfortunately for them, they must have been exhausted by that point. They went on to lose to the Lions 32-17 in Michigan.
The 49ers dropped to 4-11 with the defeat to the 6-9 Lions with just one game remaining – mercifully – in this most disappointing season. San Francisco will close out its season on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 3 by hosting the St. Louis Rams.
The Niners started the game with a beautiful 11-play, 80-yard drive that ended with Blaine Gabbert’s 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Vance McDonald.
Then, trailing 10-7, San Francisco took a 14-10 lead after a seven-play, 82-yard drive that featured Gabbert’s 16-yard TD strike to Torrey Smith.
From that point, however, the 49ers’ play was punctuated by penalties (including seven offside or neutral zone infractions), missed tackles and offensive inefficiency.
San Francisco converted Phil Dawson’s 40-yard field goal with 40 seconds before halftime, but then allowed the Lions go to 60 yards in 33 seconds to set up Matt Prater’s go-ahead field goal with two seconds before intermission. The drive was twice aided by 49ers neutral zone infractions (by Arik Armstead and Tony Jerod-Eddie).
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In the second half, it was all Detroit, with the Lions adding two more Prater field goals and a Matthew Stafford 1-yard TD toss to Calvin Johnson.
The 49ers were able to convert just one of nine third-down plays, allowed Gabbert to be sacked three times, lost the time-of-possession battle 36:30-23:30 and lost a fumble by Gabbert that resulted in a Detroit touchdown.
How far have the 49ers fallen this season?
At 4-11, the 49ers have matched their total combined number of defeats from the 2011-2013 seasons, noted Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group. In both those years, they advanced to the NFC Championship Game.
Gabbert finished 22-of-33 for 225 yards and two TDs with no interceptions. DuJuan Harris (73 yards) and surprise starter Jarryd Hayne (27) led the rushing game.
