Finally, the 2024 nightmare season for the San Francisco 49ers is over with.
It ends in a blowout 47-24 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, which is fitting given the season. As usual, this loss followed a common theme for the 49ers as it has in every other loss this season: undisciplined, lack of execution, turnovers, and injuries. The 49ers' defense was the worst unit in this game. They couldn't do anything to slow Arizona down despite James Conner being inactive.
The 49ers' offense without Brock Purdy, and rookie Isaac Guerendo early, surprisingly did okay. Joshua Dobbs played a fairly good game in his first and likely last start for the 49ers. He threw a couple of costly turnovers and fumbled once, but overall he wasn't too shabby. He found rookie Ricky Pearsall to start the game off and eventually connected with him on a sweet touchdown play.
However, there was another wide receiver Dobbs wanted to connect with a lot. Jauan Jennings entered this game needing 77 yards for his first-ever 1,000-yard receiving season. It was the only thing keeping this game entertaining. He was trending towards eclipsing that until he got ejected in the second quarter.
Jennings was flagged for back-to-back personal foul penalties that started with him pancaking two different defenders. Both defenders were upset by it, so they retaliated by engaging in a physical altercation. Jennings was likely penalized for being involved in it despite not initiating it.
Either way, Jennings would exit the game 25 yards shy of a 1,000-yard receiving season. It's a shame he didn't get to achieve that accomplishment. He deserved to have that accolade given the tremendous season he's had. The 49ers' offense would've been way worse if Jennings didn't step up this year.
This is a year the 49ers cannot wait to put behind them. The vibes were off from the beginning of training camp and it set the tone for what would be the season from the abyss. As the 49ers enter the offseason, they face a laundry list of critical decisions and moves to make to ensure they bounce back in 2025.
