Over 20 inches of snow fell on Buffalo's Highmark Stadium Sunday, as the 49ers looked to end their own cold streak against a dominant Bills team.
Last week, they got routed in Green Bay while missing starting quarterback Brock Purdy and several other key starters, leaving them with a losing record for the first time in several years. The week before that, they suffered a close home loss to the division rival Seattle Seahawks.
"For whatever reason, we haven't been a very disciplined football team," 49ers General Manager John Lynch stated bluntly in a recent appearance on NBC Sports Bay Area.
Unfortunately for 49ers fans, this week's matchup was also not close. The Bills took a 7-3 lead in the first quarter and never looked back.
Purdy, in his return, did not make a major impact on the game. He threw for less than 100 yards ending the game with zero touchdowns.
Star running back Christian McCaffrey left the game early with a knee ligament injury. Backups Jordan Mason and Issac Gurrendo contributed a solid, but unimpressive performance in his stead.
Uncharacteristic offensive woes have plagued the 49ers all season, and this game was no different. Each of their four first-half drives made their way into the Bills's side of the field, but resulted only in three points. Kicker Jake Moody continued his post-injury struggles, hitting only one field goal out of three attempts.
The 49ers defense also failed to play well. They were torched throughout the game, especially on the ground. Injuries across their lineup have placed far less talented backups in the spotlight, who so far have failed to deliver.
As a team, Buffalo rushed for 223 yards and three touchdowns on 38 attempts, highlighted by a 65-yard breakaway score by veteran running back James Cook. The 49ers, by comparison, only managed 239 combined rushing and passing yards.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen was in MVP form, throwing for 148 yards and two touchdowns, while also adding in both a rushing and a receiving touchdown. Allen is the first quarterback ever to score passing, receiving, and rushing touchdowns in the same game.
"We’re not playing good football right now, and that needs to change on both sides," expressed longtime 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk.
After this loss, the 49ers are left 5-7 and in last place in the NFC West. Given recent NFL history, they will likely need to win all five of their remaining games to have a chance of making the playoffs.
It is a stretch that includes two division rivals and the current odds-on Super Bowl favorite Detroit Lions.
"All must wins. If we want to get [into the playoffs,] we've got to do something special here," said Head Coach Kyle Shanahan.
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