Shortly before kickoff, the San Francisco 49ers were officially eliminated from playoff contention, with the Commanders' late win over the Eagles and the Rams beating the Jets.

All that was left to play for was pride and the potential for a winning record.

Unfortunately, after Sunday, they would be only leaving Miami with the former.

It was an ugly game for the 49ers, with the team incurring 11 penalties and scoring less than 20 points for the seventh time out of 15 outings. Rookie Wide Receiver Ricky Pearsall committed two crucial illegal formation penalties that severely disrupted the offense's momentum, and Kicker Jake Moody missed a 41-yard field goal in the third quarter.

Fourth-string running back Patrick Taylor, starting for the first time due to injuries to the three players ahead of him, failed to make an impact and only rushed for 24 yards on eight attempts. The team also lost two starting offensive linemen and star linebacker Dre Greenlaw early to injury.

"It's just been not clean football across the board. I just feel like we're hurting ourselves offensively, and then when the defense gets a stop, we've got to go and capitalize," said quarterback Brock Purdy after the game.

It wasn't all bad for the 49ers though, who played well enough to remain within striking distance the entire game, carried largely by a passing offense showing new signs of life after extremely lackluster showings in recent weeks.

Tight end George Kittle churned out 106 yards on eight catches and wide receiver Deebo Samuel contributed seven catches for 96 yards and a touchdown.

Purdy, overall, played well for most of the game, completing 26 out of 40 passes, which led to 313 passing yards and two touchdowns. However, with the team trailing 22-17, Purdy would end up throwing a costly interception late into the game that effectively sealed the loss for the 49ers.

The defeat drops the team to 6-9, and was characterized by injuries at key positions and poor execution, amid a disappointing season defined by those very issues.

“It’s happened way too many times this year,” 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa said. “When it rains, it pours.”

Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images