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49ers Playoff Chances Officially Extinct

Entering Week 16, there was a one percent chance the 49ers could make the playoffs.

Jose Luis Sanchez III

Dec 12, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr (1) during the final seconds of the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
Dec 12, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr (1) during the final seconds of the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
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Entering Week 16, there was a one percent chance the San Francisco 49ers could make the playoffs.

Well, stick a fork in that because it's over. The 49ers playoff chances are officially extinct. A plethora of scenarios were needed to go right for the 49ers. That all ended today once the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Commanders won their games.

So, the 49ers will be playing for nothing against the Miami Dolphins. The vibes surrounding the 49ers have been bad since the start of training camp. From the weird holdouts with Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams to Christian McCaffrey's calf/Achilles injury.

Everything has gone wrong for the 49ers ever since they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl over 10 months ago. Having a poor season like they have this year shouldn't be surprising. The 49ers have been going deep into the playoffs for the last three seasons.

Each of those playoff runs has ended in terrible heartbreaks. Eventually, the players and coaches will start to lose their fire and it's shown this season. Kyle Shanahan alluded to their being odd vibes as well in his press conference a couple of weeks ago.

With the playoffs dead, the 49ers will possibly lose any focus. However, if you were to ask them, they are still going to try hard to win and play for pride. The 49ers aren't a team that has any quit in them. They won't mail it in against the Dolphins and for the season's next final two games.

The best scenario for the 49ers is to compete at a strong level while losing. The 49ers should lose the rest of their games to improve their draft position. This team desperately needs retooling through the draft.

This year's draft class has proven how crucial it is for them to get younger talent. If the 49ers can come close to that early success with the 2025 class as they did with 2024, they will be a resurgent group for years to come.

Read more of 49ers on SI

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Jose Luis Sanchez III
JOSE LUIS SANCHEZ III

Jose Luis Sanchez III has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily for FanNation since 2019. He started off as the lead publisher for FanNation's All49ers, then switched positions to become the Deputy Editor in 2020. Sanchez writes, edits, and produces videos daily for All49ers. He also co-hosts a show on YouTube with All49ers lead publisher Grant Cohn weekly. Prior to FanNation, Sanchez started his writing career back in 2016 for the school newspaper at Skyline college where he covered all sports team in the Bay Area. Following that from 2017 to 2019, he found a role as a contributor for FanSided's news desk along with their site's Just Blog Baby covering the Las Vegas Raiders and Golden Gate Sports every professional Bay Area sports team. Atop all of that, he was able to graduate with a Bachelors degree in Communication Studies at San Francisco State University in 2020. Sanchez is committed to ensuring he delivers transparent analysis and straightforward opinions that resonates with readers to get them thinking.

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