This one should have been easy.
The 49ers Saturday night played beautiful football in the first half of their game against the Chargers at Levi’s Stadium.
San Francisco scored four touchdowns – with Frank Gore running like a young man again, piling up 129 yards – in building a 28-7 halftime lead.
The Niners also picked off Philip Rivers three times and got a 90-yard TD run by quarterback Colin Kaepernick in the second half.
Yet San Francisco let a 35-21 lead slip away in the fourth quarter. They went to overtime tied 35-35 and then lost, 38-35.
The loss was the 49ers’ fourth straight, dropping their record to 7-8. San Francisco will now have to beat the Cardinals this coming Sunday in the regular-season finale to avoid a losing season – on top of missing the postseason for the first time in the Jim Harbaugh era (which may be about a week from ending).
The 49ers got the ball to start overtime and were on the move, reaching the Chargers’ 45-yard line on a reverse by Quinton Patton. But Patton lost the ball and San Diego recovered. Soon, the Chargers drove to the 49ers’ 22, setting up a 40-yard game-winning field goal by Nick Novak.
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The victory by San Diego keeps it in the playoff chase at 9-6.
The Niners, meanwhile, have yet another disappointing loss, despite a big game by Gore (158 yards rushing) and Kaepernick (151 yards rushing, 114 passing).
San Francisco became the first NFL team to rush for 300 yards and lose since 2012, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
