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Ten months after appearing in Super Bowl LVIII, the San Francisco 49ers were shockingly eliminated from the 2024 NFL playoffs. The elimination came as a result of the team's Week 16 loss to the Miami Dolphins, which Brock Purdy takes full accountability for.
Despite playing without a handful of key players, Purdy still felt as if the 49ers had enough to win. After the game, the quarterback told the media that he was “hard on himself” for the loss that “hurt.”
“It doesn’t matter who’s out there, we have what it takes to win and move the chains and put up points, give our team a chance to win,” Purdy said after the game. “That’s my mindset. That’s where I’m hard on myself is we’ve had some guys that have been banged up and all that and we haven’t been able to get it done. So I’m just hard on myself when it comes to that. It hurts.”
Purdy threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns in Week 16 but threw an interception in the fourth quarter that ultimately sealed the 49ers' fate. While he took a big hit from defensive tackle Calais Campbell, Purdy's wayward pass over the middle of the field fell right into the waiting arms of Kader Kohou to end San Francisco's comeback bid.
San Francisco played the game without running back Isaac Guerendo, forcing them down to its fifth-string option, Patrick Taylor. The lack of a running game resulted in Purdy leading the team with just 26 rushing yards.
Guerendo was the fourth member of the backfield to go down with an injury, following Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason. Both Mason and Guerendo were enjoying career years in McCaffrey's absence before going down.
49ers' 2024 injury issues
Along with McCaffrey, the 49ers have played most of the season without 2023 leading receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Nick Bosa, Trent Williams, Talanoa Hufanga and Ricky Pearsall have all also missed considerable time throughout the year. In Week 14, the team also had to deal with linebacker De'Vondre Campbell effectively quitting on them.
In addition to the injuries, the 49ers have had to deal with the struggling play of their stars on the field. Aiyuk managed just 374 receiving yards through seven games before his injury, while Deebo Samuel's career-worst year continues to be highly criticized by fans. Through 14 games, Samuel has just 665 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Through all the chaos, Brock Purdy has essentially been Kyle Shanahan's only consistent player in the lineup. Purdy has missed one game but returned for the following contest. San Francisco's year-long inconsistencies have led to a severe letdown season just months after claiming an NFC Championship.
