The 2016 season can only be described as a disaster of epic proportions for the 49ers. They finished 2-14, matching their worst season of all time. They started two different quarterbacks en route to finishing dead last in passing yards in a fast paced offense. They had a historically awful season on defense. They had a quarterback who was a more productive activist than passer. To top it off, this season ended with the firing of their general manager, head coach, and even more uncertainty at quarterback.
There were so many low points to choose from this season, so I’ll give you some honorable mentions. Allowing 37 points to a struggling Seahawks offense in week 3 just missed the cut. Getting outscored by 82 points at the hands of the NFC South alone also was not pretty. Or how about getting humiliated by the Cardinals on Thursday Night football in an empty stadium?
Those are all low points that just missed the cut. Here are the five that made it.
Low Point #5: Week 6 at Buffalo
Lesean McCoy leaving the Niners in the dust
The Bills had a turbulent and dysfunctional season that was capped off by the firing of head coach Rex Ryan with one week left to play. However, you wouldn’t know it in week 6 when they played the 49ers. Kaepernick made his first start of the season, but it helped the Niners little as he continued habits of not being able to score in the second half. This was a one possession game with 11 minutes left in the fourth. That one possession game became a 45-16 destruction by game’s end. Against the fucking Bills! Great job fellas.
Low Point #4: Week 16 at Los Angeles
Oliver you dumbass! How can you put a game that the Niners actually won on this list?
Even when he’s good, Kaepernick hurts his team
Simple. The Browns won their first game earlier in the day, and due to their far superior schedule, the 49ers were now in the drivers seat to get the #1 pick if they lost their next two games.
For 55 minutes, it looked as though they were going to do that. The Niners were down 21-7 and had punted or turned it over on 11 straight possessions against an equally futile Rams team. Then a funny thing happened. Kaepernick decided to be clutch.
The most anti clutch quarterback in the league over the last three seasons decided to finally play good in the fourth quarter and rally the team from a two touchdown deficit to score the game tying touchdown with 31 seconds left. Then, the 49ers got even more bold and decided to go for two to win it. Kaepernick rushed in for the 2 point conversion and the 49ers won the game, preventing themselves from getting the #1 pick in the draft.
Low Point #3: Week 4 vs Dallas
Yes. I know what you are thinking. The 49ers lost by only 7 to the best team in the NFC and actually had the lead for most of the game.
Of all people to get hurt
With that said, the 49ers led the Cowboys 17-16-1 all time before this game. This historic rivalry is now dead even, which really sucks. Also, the 49ers have had double digit leads in each of their last three home games against the Cowboys and lost all three.
However, all of those things alone did not make this a low point. The reason why this game is so high on this list was what happened in the game. In the third quarter, All-Pro inside linebacker and the only relevant 49ers player Navorro Bowman fell to the ground untouched. As it would turn out, the 49ers stud tore his Achilles and would be out for the remainder of the season. This was a turning point for the 49ers defense. Their defense already wasn’t good, but Bowman was it’s anchor and the only reason why it was at least competitive a lot of the time. Without him, their defense fell apart, finishing with 480 points allowed, most in team history.
Low Point #2: Week 13 at Chicago
Kaepernick’s LOL day
This game can be described as The Game That Decided Chip Kelly’s Fate. This was a game that a lot of pundits actually picked the 49ers to win, with the Bears being 2-9 at the time of this game. The 49ers not only found a way to lose by 20, but make history in the process. Colin Kaepernick finished 1/5 for 4 yards through three quarters while being sacked 5 times, which was the first time a quarterback finished with 5 sacks while having fewer than 5 yards in a game. If that wasn’t enough, Matt Barkley actually showed competence against this pathetic 49ers defense.
However, the lowest point of this game had to be midway through the second quarter. The 49ers blocked a Bears punt and Dontae Johnson seemingly returned it to the endzone for a touchdown. However, he and the rest of his dipshit teammates did not seem to notice that he was marked out of bounds at the 4 yard line as they all celebrated and made snow angels after the play. This excessive celebration by a team on a 10 game losing streak resulted in a penalty. The Niners were moved back to the 19 yard line and had to settle for a field goal.
Getting an excessive celebration penalty on a touchdown that did not even exist? Classic Niners. Stay humble baby!
The Lowest of Low Points: Week 14 vs NY Jets
This game was the epitome of the 49ers over the last three seasons. Every bad thing that you could describe about the 49ers came to fruition in this embarrassing collapse.
The 49ers completing their epic collapse
After the humiliating debacle against the Bears, the Niners were given another ripe opportunity for a win in week 14 against the Jets. The Jets were 3-9 and coming of a 41-10 home loss to the Colts on Monday Night. Not to mention having to travel across the country on a short week. The Niners were actually favored to win!
The 49ers seemed to prove those who favored them right, jumping out to a 14-0 lead before the Jets could even blink and coast to a 17-3 halftime lead.
Then, the Niners did as the Niners do often, which is fail to score in the second half. This allowed the Bryce Fucking Petty led Jets to slowly creep back into the game. Their 17-3 halftime lead became 17-6, 17-14, and then even at 17 with at the end of regulation. The 49ers won the coin toss and got the ball down to the Jets 37, where they inexplicably went for it on 4th and 2 and were stopped. The Jets then drove 63 yards down the field capped off with a 19 yard Bilal Powel run for the game winning touchdown.
The Niners blew their fourth double digit lead, failed to score more than a touchdown in the second half for the eighth time of the season, and above all, lost a home game to an awful Jets team that flew across the country on a short week. If that doesn’t spell low, I don’t know what does.
And that’s why the 49ers were 2-14.
