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2021 San Francisco 49ers season

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2021 San Francisco 49ers season
49ers 75th anniversary logo
OwnerJed York
General managerJohn Lynch
Head coachKyle Shanahan
Home fieldLevi's Stadium
Results
Record10–7
Division place3rd NFC West
Playoff finishWon Wild Card Playoffs
(at Cowboys) 23–17
Won Divisional Playoffs
(at Packers) 13–10
Lost NFC Championship
(at Rams) 17–20
Pro Bowlers
7
AP All-Pros
2
Uniform

The 2021 season was the San Francisco 49ers' 72nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 76th overall and their fifth under the head coach/general manager tandem of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch. In honor of the 75th anniversary of the team's founding in 1946, the 49ers introduced a commemorative logo to be used during this season.[1]

They improved from their 6–10 record from the previous year and they 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, [2] 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 sneak into the playoffs.[3] 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 8th 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.[4]

In the wild-card round, the 49ers upset the Dallas Cowboys 23–17.[5] They would then upset the #1 seeded Green Bay Packers 13–10 in the divisional round, thus advancing to the NFC Championship for the second time in 3 years.[6] However, they lost to their division rival and eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams 20-17.

Offseason

[edit]

Roster changes

[edit]

Free agency

[edit]

The 49ers entered free agency with the following:[7]

Position Player Free agency
tag 		Date Signed 2021 Team Notes
OT Trent Williams UFA March 23, 2021 San Francisco 49ers Signed six-year contract[8]
CB Richard Sherman UFA September 29, 2021 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Signed one-year contract[9]
DE Solomon Thomas UFA March 19, 2021 Las Vegas Raiders Signed one-year contract[10]
FS Jaquiski Tartt UFA March 22, 2021 San Francisco 49ers Signed one-year contract[11]
FB Kyle Juszczyk UFA March 15, 2021 San Francisco 49ers Signed five-year contract[12]
RB Tevin Coleman UFA March 25, 2021 New York Jets Signed one-year contract[13]
WR Kendrick Bourne UFA March 19, 2021 New England Patriots Signed three-year contract[14]
CB K'Waun Williams UFA March 26, 2021 San Francisco 49ers Signed one-year contract[15]
OT Tom Compton UFA April 28, 2021 San Francisco 49ers Signed one-year contract[16]
DE Ronald Blair UFA June 1, 2021 New York Jets Signed one-year contract[17]
C Ben Garland UFA
DE Kerry Hyder UFA March 25, 2021 Seattle Seahawks Signed three-year contract[18]
DE Ezekiel Ansah UFA
RB Jerick McKinnon UFA May 1, 2021 Kansas City Chiefs Signed one-year contract[19]
C Tony Bergstrom UFA
CB Jason Verrett UFA April 1, 2021 San Francisco 49ers Signed one-year contract[20]
CB Ahkello Witherspoon UFA March 19, 2021 Seattle Seahawks Signed one-year contract[21]
CB Dontae Johnson UFA March 19, 2021 San Francisco 49ers Signed one-year contract[22]
C Hroniss Grasu UFA
DE Dion Jordan UFA
CB Jamar Taylor UFA
DE Jordan Willis UFA March 23, 2021 San Francisco 49ers Signed one-year contract[23]
QB C. J. Beathard UFA March 24, 2021 Jacksonville Jaguars Signed two-year contract[24]
LB Joe Walker UFA May 19, 2021 Washington Football Team
QB Nick Mullens RFA June 14, 2021 Philadelphia Eagles Signed one-year contract[25]
TE Ross Dwelley RFA March 5, 2021 San Francisco 49ers Signed one-year contract[26]
LS Taybor Pepper RFA February 4, 2021 San Francisco 49ers Signed two-year contract[27]
RB Jeff Wilson RFA January 26, 2021 San Francisco 49ers Signed one-year contract[28]
QB Josh Rosen ERFA February 8, 2021 San Francisco 49ers Signed one-year contract[29]
CB Emmanuel Moseley ERFA March 15, 2021 San Francisco 49ers Signed two-year contract[30]
OT Daniel Brunskill ERFA April 13, 2021 San Francisco 49ers Signed one-year contract[31][32]
CB Ken Webster ERFA January 21, 2021 San Francisco 49ers Signed one-year contract[33]
WR River Cracraft ERFA February 22, 2021 San Francisco 49ers Signed one-year contract[34]
WR Trent Taylor UFA May 17, 2021 Cincinnati Bengals Signed one-year contract[35]
DT D. J. Jones UFA March 22, 2021 San Francisco 49ers Signed one-year contract[36]
S Marcell Harris RFA March 5, 2021 San Francisco 49ers Signed one-year contract[26]
RB Austin Walter ERFA February 8, 2021 San Francisco 49ers Signed one-year contract[29]
RFA: Restricted free agent, UFA: Unrestricted free agent, ERFA: Exclusive rights free agent
LEGEND
 –  Light green background indicates a player has been re-signed by the 49ers.
 –  Light red background indicates a player has departed the 49ers.

Signings

[edit]
Position Player 2020 Team Date signed Notes
CB Mark Fields October 13, 2020 Claimed off waivers[37]
CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun March 17, 2021 Signed one-year contract[38]
TE Daniel Helm
C Alex Mack Atlanta Falcons March 18, 2021 Signed three-year contract[39]
LB Samson Ebukam Los Angeles Rams March 18, 2021 Signed two-year contract[40]
WR Trent Sherfield Arizona Cardinals March 19, 2021 Signed one-year contract[41]
S Tavon Wilson Indianapolis Colts March 22, 2021 Signed one-year contract[42]
DT Zach Kerr Carolina Panthers March 23, 2021 Signed one-year contract[43]
LB Nathan Gerry Philadelphia Eagles March 29, 2021 Signed one-year contract[44]
WR Mohamed Sanu Detroit Lions March 30, 2021 Signed one-year contract[45]
QB Nate Sudfeld Philadelphia Eagles April 7, 2021 Signed one-year contract[46]
RB Wayne Gallman New York Giants April 21, 2021 Signed one-year contract[47]
DT Maurice Hurst Jr. Las Vegas Raiders April 23, 2021 Signed one-year contract[48]
DE Arden Key
WR Marqise Lee New England Patriots May 17, 2021 Signed one-year contract[49]
WR Bennie Fowler New Orleans Saints May 21, 2021 Signed one-year contract[50]
WR Andy Jones June 1, 2021 Signed one-year contract[51]
LB James Burgess Green Bay Packers June 2, 2021 Signed one-year contract[52]
TE MyCole Pruitt Tennessee Titans June 2, 2021 Signed one-year contract[53]
S Tony Jefferson June 7, 2021 Signed one-year contract[54]
OG Senio Kelemete Houston Texans June 11, 2021 Signed one-year contract[55]
WR Nsimba Webster Los Angeles Rams June 21, 2021 claimed off waivers[56]
DE Eddie Yarbrough Minnesota Vikings July 27, 2021 Signed one-year contract[57]
DE Anthony Zettel New Orleans Saints
TE Jordan Matthews July 31, 2021 Signed one-year contract[58]
TE Joshua Perkins August 4, 2021 Signed one-year contract[59]
CB B. W. Webb
LB Davin Bellamy August 6, 2021 Signed one-year contract[60]
LB Shilique Calhoun New England Patriots August 10, 2021 Signed one-year contract[61]
CB Alexander Myres Detroit Lions
LB Donald Payne August 11, 2021 Signed one-year contract[62]
S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix August 12, 2021 Signed one-year contract[63]
DT Eddie Vanderdoes Houston Texans
LB Mychal Kendricks August 16, 2021 Signed one-year contract[64]
CB Davontae Harris Baltimore Ravens August 17, 2021 Claimed off waivers[65]
OT Corbin Kaufusi August 27, 2021 Signed one-year contract[66]
WR River Cracraft August 28, 2021 Signed one-year contract[67]
CB Josh Norman Buffalo Bills September 6, 2021 Signed one-year contract[68]
CB Dre Kirkpatrick Arizona Cardinals September 14, 2021 Signed one-year contract[69]
RB Trenton Cannon September 15, 2021 Claimed off waivers[70]
Indicates that the player was a free agent at the end of his respective team's 2020 season.

Departures

[edit]
Position Player Date Notes
DE Ronald Blair March 12, 2021 Released[31]
WR Marquise Goodwin March 17, 2021 Released
TE Chase Harrell April 13, 2021 Waived[32]
TE Jordan Reed April 20, 2021 Retired[71]
CB Adonis Alexander May 4, 2021 Waived[72]
WR Matt Cole
S Chris Edwards
RB Austin Walter May 13, 2021 Waived
WR Austin Proehl May 17, 2021 Waived[49]
WR Marqise Lee May 21, 2021 Waived[50]
TE Daniel Helm June 1, 2021 Waived[51]
QB Josh Johnson
C Weston Richburg June 2, 2021 Retired[73]
CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun June 7, 2021 Waived[54]
OG Justin Skule June 11, 2021 Waived[55]
LB Nathan Gerry July 6, 2021 Waived[74]
DE Daeshon Hall July 26, 2021 Released[75]
WR Andy Jones July 27, 2021 Waived[57]
WR Bennie Fowler July 31, 2021 Released[58]
CB Tim Harris August 4, 2021 Waived[59]
DE Anthony Zettel August 6, 2021 Retired[60]
CB Mark Fields August 10, 2021 Waived[61]
G Isaiah Williams
WR Kevin White August 11, 2021 Released[62]
LB Davin Bellamy August 12, 2021 Waived[63]
LB James Burgess August 16, 2021 Waived[64]
LB Donald Payne
DT Eddie Vanderdoes
TE Joshua Perkins August 17, 2021 Released[76]
CB Ken Webster Waived[76]
QB Josh Rosen Waived[65]
LB Shilique Calhoun August 24, 2021 Released[77]
CB B. W. Webb
WR River Cracraft Waived[77]
OT Corbin Kaufusi
FS Kai Nacua August 27, 2021 Released[66]
WR River Cracraft August 28, 2021 Waived[67]
WR Travis Benjamin August 31, 2021 Released[78]
C Jake Brendel
S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
RB Wayne Gallman
CB Dontae Johnson
OG Senio Kelemete
TE Jordan Matthews
TE MyCole Pruitt
QB Nate Sudfeld
DE Eddie Yarbrough
DE Alex Barrett Waived[78]
WR River Cracraft
DT Darrion Daniels
FB Josh Hokit
OT Corbin Kaufusi
S Jared Mayden
OT Colton McKivitz
CB Alexander Myres
OG Dakoda Shepley
WR Nsimba Webster
CB Dontae Johnson September 6, 2021 Released[68]

Draft

[edit]
Main article: 2021 NFL draft
2021 San Francisco 49ers Draft
Round Selection Player Position College Notes
1 3 Trey Lance QB North Dakota State From Houston via Miami
2 48 Aaron Banks OG Notre Dame From Las Vegas
3 88 Trey Sermon RB Ohio State From Los Angeles Rams
102 Ambry Thomas CB Michigan 2020 Resolution JC-2A picks
5 155 Jaylon Moore OG Western Michigan
172 Deommodore Lenoir CB Oregon From New Orleans
180 Talanoa Hufanga S USC Compensatory pick
6 194 Elijah Mitchell RB Louisiana

Notes

  • San Francisco traded 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 for a first-round selection (3rd overall).[79]
  • San Francisco traded its second-round (43rd overall) and seventh-round (230th overall) selections to Vegas in exchange for a second-round (48th overall) and fourth (121st overall) selections.[80]
  • San Francisco traded 2 fourth-round selections (117th and 121st overall) to Los Angeles in exchange for a third-round selection (88th overall).[81]
  • San Francisco traded Kwon Alexander to New Orleans in exchange for a fifth-round conditional pick and LB Kiko Alonso.[82]
  • San Francisco traded its third-round and 2020 fifth-round selections to Washington in exchange for offensive tackle Trent Williams.[83]
  • San Francisco received third-round selections in 2021, 2022, and 2023, as compensation when defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was hired by the New York Jets as head coach[84] and vice president of player personnel Martin Mayhew was hired by the Washington Football Team as general manager.[85][86]
  • San Francisco lost its 2021 seventh round selection, as Marquise Goodwin reverted from Philadelphia back to San Francisco.[87]
  • San Francisco acquired a seventh round selection (No. 230) and defensive end Jordan Willis from the New York Jets in exchange for a 2022 sixth round selection.[88]

Undrafted free agents

[edit]
2021 San Francisco 49ers Undrafted Free Agents
Position Player College Notes
OL Alfredo Gutiérrez Tecnológico de Monterrey Waived on August 31[78]
LB Justin Hilliard Ohio State Waived on August 31[78]
TE Josh Pederson Louisiana-Monroe Waived on August 4[59]
LB Elijah Sullivan Kansas State Waived on August 31[78]
WR Austin Watkins Alabama at Birmingham Waived on August 17[76]

Staff

[edit]
2021 San Francisco 49ers staff

Front office

  • Co-chairman – Denise DeBartolo York
  • Co-chairman – John York
  • Chief executive officer – Jed York
  • President – Al Guido
  • Chief administrative officer and general counsel - Hanna Gordon
  • General manager – John Lynch
  • Assistant general manager – Adam Peters
  • Executive vice president of football operations – Paraag Marathe
  • Vice president and senior advisor – Keena Turner
  • Director of player personnel – Ran Carthon
  • Director of college scouting – Ethan Waugh
  • Assistant director of college scouting – Tariq Ahmad
  • National scout – Justin Chabot
  • Vice president of football administration – Brian Hampton

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Head strength and conditioning – Dustin Perry
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Aaron Hill and Greg Segrove
  • Director, performance monitoring/assistant strength and conditioning – Shea Thompson


Final roster

[edit]
2021 San Francisco 49ers roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 10 reserve, 16 practice squad (+2 exempt)


Preseason

[edit]

The 49ers' preseason schedule was announced on May 12.

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 14 Kansas City Chiefs L 16–19 0–1 Levi's Stadium Recap
2 August 22 at Los Angeles Chargers W 15–10 1–1 SoFi Stadium Recap
3 August 29 Las Vegas Raiders W 34–10 2–1 Levi's Stadium Recap

Regular season

[edit]

Schedule

[edit]

The 49ers' 2021 schedule was announced on May 12.

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 12 at Detroit Lions W 41–33 1–0 Ford Field Recap
2 September 19 at Philadelphia Eagles W 17–11 2–0 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
3 September 26 Green Bay Packers L 28–30 2–1 Levi's Stadium Recap
4 October 3 Seattle Seahawks L 21–28 2–2 Levi's Stadium Recap
5 October 10 at Arizona Cardinals L 10–17 2–3 State Farm Stadium Recap
6 Bye
7 October 24 Indianapolis Colts L 18–30 2–4 Levi's Stadium Recap
8 October 31 at Chicago Bears W 33–22 3–4 Soldier Field Recap
9 November 7 Arizona Cardinals L 17–31 3–5 Levi's Stadium Recap
10 November 15 Los Angeles Rams W 31–10 4–5 Levi's Stadium Recap
11 November 21 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 30–10 5–5 TIAA Bank Field Recap
12 November 28 Minnesota Vikings W 34–26 6–5 Levi's Stadium Recap
13 December 5 at Seattle Seahawks L 23–30 6–6 Lumen Field Recap
14 December 12 at Cincinnati Bengals W 26–23 (OT) 7–6 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
15 December 19 Atlanta Falcons W 31–13 8–6 Levi's Stadium Recap
16 December 23 at Tennessee Titans L 17–20 8–7 Nissan Stadium Recap
17 January 2, 2022 Houston Texans W 23–7 9–7 Levi's Stadium Recap
18 January 9, 2022 at Los Angeles Rams W 27–24 (OT) 10–7 SoFi Stadium Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

[edit]

Week 1: at Detroit Lions

[edit]
Week One: San Francisco 49ers at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 7 24 7341
Lions 0 10 71633

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

Game information

49ers hold on to go up 1-0 to kick off the 75th season.

Week 2: at Philadelphia Eagles

[edit]
Week Two: San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 0 7 01017
Eagles 3 0 0811

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Game information

With the Victory, The 49ers are 2-0 on the season

Week 3: vs. Green Bay Packers

[edit]
Week Three: Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 10 7 01330
49ers 0 7 71428

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

Game information

The Packers narrowly escape the 49ers and deliver San Francisco its first loss on the season.

Week 4: vs. Seattle Seahawks

[edit]
Week Four: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 0 7 14728
49ers 7 0 6821

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

  • Date: October 3
  • Game time: 1:05 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: Hazy skies, 88 °F (31 °C)
  • Game attendance: 68,912
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Shannon Spake
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Despite a late rally, the 49ers could not hold off the Seahawks at Levi's and drop to 2–2 on the season.

Week 5: at Arizona Cardinals

[edit]
Week Five: San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 0 0 7310
Cardinals 7 3 0717

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

  • Date: October 10
  • Game time: 1:25 p.m. MST & PDT
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 62,716
  • Referee: Clay Martin
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez and Laura Okmin
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

In Trey Lance's first NFL start the 49ers lose a closer than expected game and fall to 2–3 on the season.

Week 7: vs. Indianapolis Colts

[edit]
Week Seven: Indianapolis Colts at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colts 7 6 71030
49ers 12 0 0618

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

  • Date: October 24
  • Game time: 5:20 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy, rainy, 64 °F (18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 56,576
  • Referee: Craig Wrolstad
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya and Terry McAulay
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

With their fourth loss in a row, the 49ers go down to 2–4.

Week 8: at Chicago Bears

[edit]
Week Eight: San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 3 6 61833
Bears 3 10 3622

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Game information

Despite struggling in the first half of the game falling behind 16–9, the 49ers would rally, outscoring the Bears 24–6 to pick up the win and improving them to 3–4.

Week 9: vs. Arizona Cardinals

[edit]
Week Nine: Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 14 3 14031
49ers 0 7 7317

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

  • Date: November 7
  • Game time: 1:25 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Scattered clouds, 62 °F (17 °C)
  • Game attendance: 59,012
  • Referee: Brad Allen
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez and Laura Okmin
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Despite the Cardinals having an injury–depleted roster, the 49ers suffer an embarrassing loss to former 49ers QB Colt McCoy and fall to 3–5 on the season.

Week 10: vs. Los Angeles Rams

[edit]
Week Ten: Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Rams 0 7 0310
49ers 14 7 3731

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

Game information

The 49ers bounced back against their interstate rivals, defeating them for the 5th consecutive time and bringing their record up to 4–5 for the season.

Week 11: at Jacksonville Jaguars

[edit]
Week Eleven: San Francisco 49ers at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 3 17 7330
Jaguars 0 3 0710

at TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

Game information

49ers got back to .500 by beating the Jags.

Week 12: vs. Minnesota Vikings

[edit]
Week Twelve: Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 7 7 12026
49ers 7 7 20034

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

Game information

In a crucial game for seeding, the 49ers pulled off a late victory to take the tie breaker and went up to 6–5 on the season.

Week 13: at Seattle Seahawks

[edit]
Week Thirteen: San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 14 9 0023
Seahawks 7 14 9030

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

Game information

The Seahawks snapped a 3 game win streak for the 49ers, as their record was evened out at 6–6.

Week 14: at Cincinnati Bengals

[edit]
Week Fourteen: San Francisco 49ers at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
49ers 3 14 30626
Bengals 3 3 014323

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Date: December 12
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST/1:25 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 45 °F (7 °C)
  • Game attendance: 50,481
  • Referee: Craig Wrolstad
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Adam Archuleta and AJ Ross
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Late heroics and extra time was needed in this regular season classic, Aiyuk and the 49ers leaped to 7–6.

Week 15: vs. Atlanta Falcons

[edit]
Week Fifteen: Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Falcons 3 7 3013
49ers 3 14 14031

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

  • Date: December 19
  • Game time: 1:05 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Clear, 52 °F (11 °C)
  • Game attendance: 71,650
  • Referee: Clay Martin
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Trent Green and Melanie Collins
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

The 49ers inspired 3rd Quarter put them over the Falcons and onto 8–6.

Week 16: at Tennessee Titans

[edit]
Week Sixteen: San Francisco 49ers at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 7 3 0717
Titans 0 0 101020

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

Game information

Despite taking a 10–0 lead, the 49ers could not overcome the Titans, who outscored them 20–7 to drop them to 8–7, making their playoff chances looking slim.

Week 17: vs. Houston Texans

[edit]
Week Seventeen: Houston Texans at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Texans 0 7 007
49ers 0 3 71323

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

  • Date: January 2
  • Game time: 1:05 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Clear, 64 °F (18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 71,612
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Adam Archuleta and AJ Ross
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

In Levi's Season Finale the 49ers got off to a slow start, but then they cruised to their 9th victory in Trey Lance's 2nd NFL start to secure their 2nd winning season in 3 years.

Week 18: at Los Angeles Rams

[edit]
Week Eighteen: San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
49ers 0 3 147327
Rams 3 14 07024

at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

Game information

In a game that looked like certain doom for the 49ers, the 49ers roared back to tie the game on a pass from Deebo Samuel to Jauan Jennings to tie the game up. In overtime, Robbie Gould put the 49ers ahead and Ambry Thomas officially punched the 49ers ticket to the playoffs when he picked off Matthew Stafford, the 49ers would finish the regular season at 10–7. This would be the Rams 7th consecutive defeat by the 49ers.

Standings

[edit]

Division

[edit]
NFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(4) Los Angeles Rams 12 5 0 .706 3–3 8–4 460 372 L1
(5) Arizona Cardinals 11 6 0 .647 4–2 7–5 449 366 L1
(6) San Francisco 49ers 10 7 0 .588 2–4 7–5 427 365 W2
Seattle Seahawks 7 10 0 .412 3–3 4–8 395 366 W2

Conference

[edit]
NFC
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division winners
1[a] Green Bay Packers North 13 4 0 .765 4–2 9–3 .479 .480 L1
2[a] Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 13 4 0 .765 4–2 8–4 .467 .443 W3
3[b] Dallas Cowboys East 12 5 0 .706 6–0 10–2 .488 .431 W1
4[b] Los Angeles Rams West 12 5 0 .706 3–3 8–4 .483 .409 L1
Wild cards
5 Arizona Cardinals West 11 6 0 .647 4–2 7–5 .490 .492 L1
6 San Francisco 49ers West 10 7 0 .588 2–4 7–5 .500 .438 W2
7[c] Philadelphia Eagles East 9 8 0 .529 3–3 7–5 .469 .350 L1
Did not qualify for the postseason
8[c] New Orleans Saints South 9 8 0 .529 4–2 7–5 .512 .516 W2
9 Minnesota Vikings North 8 9 0 .471 4–2 6–6 .507 .434 W1
10[d] Washington Football Team East 7 10 0 .412 2–4 6–6 .529 .420 W1
11[d][e] Seattle Seahawks West 7 10 0 .412 3–3 4–8 .519 .424 W2
12[d][e] Atlanta Falcons South 7 10 0 .412 2–4 4–8 .472 .315 L2
13 Chicago Bears North 6 11 0 .353 2–4 4–8 .524 .373 L1
14 Carolina Panthers South 5 12 0 .294 2–4 3–9 .509 .412 L7
15 New York Giants East 4 13 0 .235 1–5 3–9 .536 .485 L6
16 Detroit Lions North 3 13 1 .206 2–4 3–9 .528 .627 W1
Tiebreakers[f]
  1. ^ a b Green Bay finished ahead of Tampa Bay based on conference record (9–3 vs. 8–4), claiming the No. 1 seed.
  2. ^ a b Dallas claimed the No. 3 seed over LA Rams based on conference record (10–2 vs. 8–4).
  3. ^ a b Philadelphia finished ahead of New Orleans based on head-to-head victory, claiming the 7th and final playoff spot.
  4. ^ a b c Washington finished ahead of Atlanta and Seattle based on head-to-head victories.
  5. ^ a b Seattle finished ahead of Atlanta based on win percentage in common games (4–2 vs. 3–3 against: San Francisco, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Washington, and Detroit).
  6. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

Postseason

[edit]
See also: 2021–22 NFL playoffs

Schedule

[edit]
Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Recap
Wild Card January 16 at Dallas Cowboys (3) W 23–17 1–0 AT&T Stadium Recap
Divisional January 22 at Green Bay Packers (1) W 13–10 2–0 Lambeau Field Recap
NFC Championship January 30 at Los Angeles Rams (4) L 17–20 2–1 SoFi Stadium Recap

Game summaries

[edit]

NFC Wild Card Playoffs: at (3) Dallas Cowboys

[edit]
NFC Wildcard Playoffs: (6) San Francisco 49ers at (3) Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 10 6 7023
Cowboys 0 7 01017

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

In the first playoff meeting between these two teams since the 1994 NFC Championship, the 49ers upset the Cowboys 23–17. The 49ers' top-five defense shut down the NFL's highest scoring team (the Cowboys were averaging 31.1 points a game during the regular season) to just 17 points, well below the Cowboys' average. This included five sacks, holding the Cowboys to just 77 yards rushing, and one interception, which led to a 49ers touchdown on the next play. The 49ers dominated most of the game, leading 23–7 entering the fourth quarter, and retaining the lead despite a close comeback from the Cowboys. With the win, the 49ers improved their playoff record against the Cowboys to 3–5 all time and defeated the Cowboys for the first time since 2014.

NFC Divisional Playoffs: at (1) Green Bay Packers

[edit]
NFC Divisional Playoffs: (6) San Francisco 49ers at (1) Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 0 0 31013
Packers 7 0 0310

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

The 49ers' Cinderella run continued as they traveled to Lambeau Field and pulled off the upset in a 13–10 win over the heavily favored Green Bay Packers.[citation needed] The game, which was affected by snowfall, was a defensive battle. The Packers started the game with a six-yard touchdown run by AJ Dillion to take a 7–0 lead. For the rest of the game, the 49ers defense only surrendered three more points, aided by five sacks, a fumble recovery, and only giving up 263 total yards of offense to the Packers. The 49ers special teams was pivotal, as they blocked a Packers field goal right before halftime, returned a blocked punt for a game-tying touchdown late in the game, and finally, converted a game-winning field goal by kicker Robbie Gould as time expired, the last of which advanced them to their second NFC Championship in the last three seasons and the 17th NFC Championship overall as a franchise. With the Tennessee Titans' loss earlier in the day to the Cincinnati Bengals, coincidentally also on a field goal as time expired, this was the first time since 2010 that both #1 seeded teams were eliminated in the same weekend. With the win, the 49ers improved to 4–0 in the playoffs against Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The 49ers recorded five sacks for the second game in a row, which is the first time that has happened in consecutive playoff games since the 1984 season.[citation needed]

NFC Championship: at (4) Los Angeles Rams

[edit]
NFC Championship: (6) San Francisco 49ers at (4) Los Angeles Rams – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 0 10 7017
Rams 0 7 01320

at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

Game information

The 49ers flew to Los Angeles following their win over the Packers to play their division rival Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game. During the regular season, the 49ers won both games against the Rams, and were looking to complete the season sweep with a win.

San Francisco won the coin toss and elected to defer. The two teams traded punts before Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford drove the offense to the 49ers' 3-yard line before throwing a drive-ending interception to Jimmie Ward. However, the 49ers were unable to muster any points off the pick, and were forced to punt. In the second quarter, the Rams struck first with Stafford completing a touchdown pass to wide receiver Cooper Kupp from 16 yards out to give the Rams a 7–0 lead. However, San Francisco struck right back with Jimmy Garoppolo hitting Deebo Samuel for a 44-yard touchdown to tie the game up at 7. On the Rams' next drive, the Rams drove to the 49ers' 38-yard line, but could only pick up 2 yards over the next three downs, and kicker Matt Gay's 54-yard field goal attempt sailed wide of the goalposts. With just under two minutes remaining in the first half, Garoppolo completed four straight passes to set up kicker Robbie Gould's 38-yard field goal at the end of the half to put San Francisco up 10–7.

In the second half, the two teams once again traded punts. On the 49ers' second drive of the half, short runs by Samuel and short passes by Garoppolo drove San Francisco down to the Rams' 16-yard line, where he hooked up with tight end George Kittle for a touchdown to make the score 17–7. On the Rams' ensuing drive, long passes by Stafford led to Kupp's second touchdown of the game from 11 yards out to cut the deficit to 17–14 with thirteen minutes left. On the 49ers' next two drives, they were forced to punt. The Rams capitalized, with Gay scoring two field goals from 40 and 30 yards out respectively to make the score 20–17 in favor of Los Angeles.

With just under two minutes remaining, the 49ers' offense trotted out on the field in an attempt to make a desperate last-minute drive to tie the game. After an incompletion on first down, Garoppolo completed a pass to Jauan Jennings, but was tackled immediately by the Rams' Travin Howard to bring up a 3rd-and-13 on the 49ers' 22-yard line. On the very next play, Garoppolo was washed out of the pocket by the Rams' defensive line. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald got a hand on Garoppolo, and in desperation, Garoppolo lobbed the ball up, where it was tipped by JaMycal Hasty before falling into the hands of Howard for a game and season-ending interception. Three kneeldowns by Stafford ended the game, and sent the Rams to their second Super Bowl in the last 4 years.

Statistics

[edit]
Further information: National Football League records

Team

[edit]
Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank
(out of 32)
Passing offense 4,221 248.3 12th
Rushing offense 2,166 127.4 7th
Total offense 6,387 375.7 7th
Passing defense 3,510 206.5 6th
Rushing defense 1,760 103.5 7th
Total defense 5,270 310.0 3rd

Individual

[edit]
Category Player Total yards
Offense
Passing Jimmy Garoppolo 3,810
Rushing Elijah Mitchell 963
Receiving Deebo Samuel 1,405
Defense
Tackles (Solo) Fred Warner 79
Sacks Nick Bosa 15.5
Interceptions Jimmie Ward 2

Statistics correct as of the end of the 2021 NFL season[89][90]

References

[edit]
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[edit]
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