San Francisco 49ers 17, Miami Dolphins 29: Grades

Embarrassing.

Dec 22, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Calais Campbell (93) hits San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) on the pass attempt during second half at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

MIAMI -- The 49ers just lost 29-17 to the Miami Dolphins. Here are the 49ers' grades for this performance.

QUARTERBACK: C

Brock Purdy played well until the final two minutes of the game. That's when he needed to lead a touchdown drive in 2 minutes and 10 seconds with his team down by 5 points. And that's when he threw an interception directly to Dolphins nickelback Kader Kohou. Purdy seems to play his worst late in games when the 49ers are trailing. That's when the 49ers need their franchise quarterback to put them on his back and lead a comeback. But Purdy isn't a franchise quarterback. He's a quarterback who plays his worst when the pressure mounts. Last week, he crumbled in a do-or-die game. This week, he played well when the 49ers already had been eliminated from the playoffs. And then, with two minutes left in a meaningless game, he crumbled again. He seems mentally fragile. Embarrassing.

RUNNING BACKS: D

Patrick Taylor Jr. rushed for a whopping 24 yards. He never should have been on the team this season. He was a waste of a roster spot. He did nothing. Embarrassing.

FULLBACK: B

Kyle Juszczyk had 26 yards from scrimmage, which is a huge game for him. Which is kind of embarrassing.

WIDE RECEIVERS: B

Deebo Samuel saved his best for when the 49ers needed him the least. Today, he had 121 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in a game that meant absolutely nothing. When the 49ers' season was alive, he played some of the worst football of his life. Now that the season is over, he's back. At least he helped his trade value in this game. In addition, Jauan Jennings was solid -- he had 51 receiving yards. But Ricky Pearsall was bad. He had 37 yards and two illegal formation penalties on the same drive. Embarrassing.

TIGHT ENDS: A

Eric Saubert caught a touchdown pass and George Kittle had 8 catches for 106 yards. The 49ers have wasted arguably the best season of Kittle's career. Embarrassing.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: D

This unit is dreadful. By the end of the game, the 49ers were playing Spencer Burford at left tackle and Nick Zakelj at left guard. And the worst player on the line still was starting center Jake Brendel. Embarrassing.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: D

They gave up 166 rushing yards and sacked Tua Tagovailoa a grand total of zero times. They also committed a neutral zone infraction and an unnecessary roughness penalty. Embarrassing.

LINEBACKERS: D

They couldn't cover running back Devon Achane, who had 6 catches for 70 yards, or tight end Jonnu Smith, who had 6 catches for 62 yards. Embarrassing.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: B

They gave up only 63 yards to wide receivers, but Deommodore Lenoir committed an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Dolphins' second-to-last drive, which ended with a touchdown. Embarrassing.

SPECIAL TEAMS: D

Jake Moody missed a 41-yard field goal and probably sealed his fate that he won't be on the team next season. Embarrassing.

COACHES: F-MINUS-MINUS

The entire coaching staff was an embarrassment. Wide receiver coach Leonard Hankerson couldn't get his guys to line up correctly. Defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen couldn't figure out how to cover Devon Achane out of the backfield. And Kyle Shanahan's offense scored just 17 points. In the 49ers past 5 games, they have scored 17 or fewer points 4 times. His offense is pitiful. And his team is sloppy and undisciplined. And he's hopeless when his team is down by 8 or more points in the fourth quarter. His record is now 0-43 in those situations. He performs his worst under pressure, just like his quarterback and his kicker. The 49ers need a new head coach, but they almost certainly will keep Shanahan for another season. But why? What will end the 49ers' downward spiral? They'll have the same coach and the same philosophy that led to a 6-9 record this season. Maybe the 49ers will have better injury luck next year, but they also will be older next year. And they were bad before all their players went down. Embarrassing.

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