stringtranslate.com

2020 San Francisco 49ers season

The 2020 season was the San Francisco 49ers' 71st in the National Football League (NFL), their 75th overall, and their fourth under the head coach/general manager tandem of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch. The 49ers entered the season as the defending NFC champions; however, the 49ers failed to improve on their 13–3 season after a Week 8 loss to the Seattle Seahawks and were eliminated from playoff contention after a Week 15 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.[1]

The season saw many key players missing significant time due to injuries, including starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, starting tight-end George Kittle, starting cornerback Richard Sherman, starting wide receiver Deebo Samuel, and 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year Nick Bosa.[2] The 49ers season ended with a league-high 18 players on injured reserve. Another notable event was the suspension of home games in Santa Clara County due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, forcing the 49ers to play their final three home games at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

As of 2023, this is the last time the 49ers failed to qualify for the playoffs.

Offseason

Roster changes

Free agency

The 49ers entered free agency with the following:[3]

Signings

Departures

Trades

Draft

Notes

Undrafted free agents

Staff

Final roster

Preseason

The 49ers' preseason schedule was announced on May 7, but was later canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[63]

Regular season

Schedule

The 49ers' 2020 schedule was announced on May 7.[63]

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Arizona Cardinals

Week One: Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

With this loss, The defending NFC Champions started off 0-1

Week 2: at New York Jets

Week Two: San Francisco 49ers at New York Jets – Game summary

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Although the 49ers won easily over the struggling Jets, they suffered devastating injuries on both sides of the ball to Jimmy Garoppolo, Raheem Mostert, Tevin Coleman, Nick Bosa, and Solomon Thomas.[65] It got so bad the team's MRI truck broke down. The win brought the 49ers to 1-1 on the season.

Week 3: at New York Giants

Week Three: San Francisco 49ers at New York Giants – Game summary

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

With Jimmy Garoppolo sidelined, Nick Mullens made his first start since 2018. He threw for 343 yards and a touchdown in a blowout win over the Giants, bringing the 49ers up to 2-1 for the season.

Week 4: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Week Four: Philadelphia Eagles at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

With this loss, the 49ers dropped to 2–2. Nick Mullens struggled mightily in the game with two interceptions, one of which was returned by Alex Singleton for a touchdown, and was benched afterwards for C. J. Beathard. The 49ers drove all the way to within field goal range down by 5, but the clock ran out.

Week 5: vs. Miami Dolphins

Week Five: Miami Dolphins at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

With this embarrassing loss, the 49ers dropped to 2–3, already matching last season's loss total. Jimmy Garoppolo returned from injury but struggled mightily with 2 interceptions, leading to him being benched at halftime for C. J. Beathard.

Week 6: vs. Los Angeles Rams

Week Six: Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

  • Date: October 18
  • Game time: 5:20 pm. PDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, 86 °F (30 °C)
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
  • Recap, Game Book

The 49ers bounced back from the previous week. Jimmy Garoppolo threw 3 touchdowns and 268 yards and the 49ers defense was able to hold a red-hot Rams offense in check. With this win, they improved to 3–3, and won their third straight meeting against the Rams.

Week 7: at New England Patriots

Week Seven: San Francisco 49ers at New England Patriots – Game summary

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

This was quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's first return to New England since the Patriots traded him to the 49ers in October 2017. Garoppolo played for the Patriots from 2014 to 2017, and was part of their 2014 and 2016 Super Bowl-winning teams. Jimmy's victorious return brought the 49ers up to 4-3 on the season.

Week 8: at Seattle Seahawks

Week Eight: San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary

at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

  • Date: November 1
  • Game time: 1:25 pm. PST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 55 °F (13 °C)
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: Craig Wrolstad
  • TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Mark Schlereth and Lindsay Czarniak
  • Recap, Game Book

At one point, the 49ers were down 7-30. Despite outscoring the Seahawks 20-7 for the rest of the game, the 49ers dropped to 4-4.

Week 9: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week Nine: Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

  • Date: November 5
  • Game time: 5:20 pm. PST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 78 °F (26 °C)
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (Fox/NFLN/Amazon Prime Video/Twitch): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Kristina Pink
  • Recap, Game Book

In a rematch of the NFC Championship the previous season. Aaron Rodgers threw for 305 yards and 4 touchdowns as the Packers went up 34–3 before the 49ers scored two meaningless touchdowns to make the final score 34–17 and dropping the 49ers to 4–5. As of week 9, the 49ers have a league high 24 players on the reserve lists.[66][67] Due to the Covid 19 pandemic restrictions, this would be the final game at Levi's for the season.

Week 10: at New Orleans Saints

Week Ten: San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: November 15
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST/1:25 pm. PST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 5,979
  • Referee: Brad Rogers
  • TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Lindsay Czarniak
  • Recap, Game Book

With the loss, the 49ers dropped to 4-6

Week 12: at Los Angeles Rams

Week Twelve: San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary

at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

  • Date: November 29
  • Game time: 1:05 pm. PST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 72 °F (22 °C)
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: Scott Novak
  • TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Greg Jennings and Jen Hale
  • Recap, Game Book

The 49ers returned from their bye week with some much-needed reinforcement returning from injury: on offense, Raheem Mostert scored a touchdown and 43 yards rushing and Deebo Samuel had 133 receiving yards; on defense, Richard Sherman contributed by grabbing his first interception of the season. The game was largely a defensive struggle. The two teams had four combined turnovers in the first quarter, and the only points scored in the first half came on a Raheem Mostert touchdown and a Matt Gay field goal. Early in the third quarter, the 49ers padded their lead to fourteen points with Javon Kinlaw's pick six and a Robbie Gould field goal. However, the momentum changed quickly as Aaron Donald forced a fumble on Raheem Mostert and it was returned for a touchdown by Troy Hill. The Rams soon scored again on a touchdown run from Cam Akers to take a three-point lead. The Rams' final drives quickly turned to punts while Nick Mullens led the 49ers on two drives resulting in field goals, including the 42-yard game winner by Robbie Gould with no time on the clock.

With the win, the 49ers swept the Rams for the second straight year and bringing their record to 5-6

Week 13: vs. Buffalo Bills

Week Thirteen: Buffalo Bills at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona[A]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Santa Clara County halting all contact sports the 49ers decided to use State Farm Stadium for 2 games. However, the result dropped the 49ers to 5-7 on the season

Week 14: vs. Washington Football Team

Week Fourteen: Washington Football Team at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona[A]

  • Date: December 13
  • Game time: 2:25 pm. MST/1:25 pm. PST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Greg Jennings, and Jen Hale
  • Recap, Game Book

In a game that saw a returning Alex Smith to face the team that drafted him for the final time and Smith's revenge dropped the 49ers to 5-8 on the season.

Week 15: at Dallas Cowboys

Week Fifteen: San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: December 20
  • Game time: 12:00 pm. CST/10:00 am. PST
  • Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C) (retractable roof open)
  • Game attendance: 30,092
  • Referee: Land Clark
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Trent Green and Melanie Collins
  • Recap, Game Book

The 49ers traveled to Dallas hoping to keep their season alive, but struggled throughout the game. The 49ers immediately trailed 17–7, and turned the ball over 4 times against one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Despite fighting back and forth after tying the game, the 49ers never had the lead. San Francisco also allowed Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to return a kickoff for a touchdown, which sealed the 49ers' loss. This loss, combined with the Cardinals' victory over the Eagles, eliminated the 49ers from playoff contention. The 49ers also clinched a losing season for the 7th time in 10 years.

Week 16: at Arizona Cardinals

Week Sixteen: San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

  • Date: December 26
  • Game time: 2:30 pm. MST/1:30 pm. PST
  • Game weather: Mostly sunny, 69 °F (21 °C) (retractable roof open)
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: Clete Blakeman
  • TV announcers (Prime Video/Twitch): Andrew Catalon, James Lofton and Sherree Burruss
  • Recap, Game Book

With this win, the San Francisco 49ers finished 5-3 in away games and brought their record up to 6-9 on the season.

Week 17: vs. Seattle Seahawks

Week Seventeen: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona[A]

  • Date: January 3, 2021
  • Game time: 2:25 pm. MST/1:25 pm. PST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 62 °F (17 °C) (retractable roof open)
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma
  • Recap, Game Book

With this loss, the 49ers finished 1-7 at home and are 1-5 in their last 6 games against Seattle. The Defending NFC Champions would finish their season in dismissal 6-10 record.

Standings

Division

Conference

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g On November 30, Santa Clara County imposed a ban on all contact sports for three weeks, later extended through January 8, due to rising COVID-19 cases. As a result, the 49ers were forced to play home games and practice from out-of-county. The team used Arizona's State Farm Stadium as a temporary venue for the remainder of the season.[64]

References

  1. ^ White, Marcus. "49ers eliminated from playoff contention with Cardinals' win". RSN. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  2. ^ Lee Chan, Jennifer. "49ers' staggering injury list underscores tumultuous season". RSN. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  3. ^ "49ers Free Agent". Spotrac. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  4. ^ "New Orleans Saints agree to terms with WR Emmanuel Sanders on two-year contract". New Orleans Saints. March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. March 24, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. April 13, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  7. ^ "49ers Sign DL Arik Armstead to Five-year Extension". 49ers.com. March 16, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  8. ^ "49ers Sign T Shon Coleman to One-year Extension". 49ers.com. March 16, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  9. ^ "49ers Re-Sign OL Ben Garland". 49ers.com. March 28, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  10. ^ Eisen, Michael (March 18, 2020). "Giants agree to terms with TE Levine Toilolo". giants.com. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  11. ^ Walker, Andrew (March 25, 2020). "Colts Sign Free Agent DT Sheldon Day". colts.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  12. ^ Peters, Craig (March 25, 2020). "Vikings Agree to Terms with Veteran DE Anthony Zettel". vikings.com. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  13. ^ "49ers Re-sign DL Ronald Blair III". 49ers.com. March 23, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  14. ^ "Lions agree to terms with free agent LBs Elijah Lee & Reggie Ragland". Detroit Lions. March 27, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  15. ^ Gordon, Grant (April 16, 2020). "Roundup: RB Matt Breida signs 49ers 1-year tender". NFL.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  16. ^ "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  17. ^ a b "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. March 5, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  18. ^ a b c d "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  19. ^ "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. May 1, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  20. ^ "49ers Sign DL Kerry Hyder". 49ers.com. March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  21. ^ a b "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. April 3, 2020. Archived from the original on April 6, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  22. ^ "49ers Sign CB Jamar Taylor; Waived Non-Football Injury CB Teez Tabor". 49ers.com. July 6, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  23. ^ "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. August 2, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  24. ^ "49ers Sign DL Dion Jordan". 49ers.com. August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  25. ^ "49ers Sign TE Jordan Reed". 49ers.com. August 9, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  26. ^ "49ers Sign OL William Sweet". 49ers.com. August 12, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  27. ^ a b "49ers Sign OL Spencer Long; Waive DL Alex Barrett". 49ers.com. August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  28. ^ a b c "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. August 15, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  29. ^ a b c d e "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. August 20, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  30. ^ a b "49ers Sign TE Erik Swoope; Waive RB Salvon Ahmed". 49ers.com. August 25, 2020. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  31. ^ a b c d "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. August 27, 2020. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  32. ^ a b c "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. August 29, 2020. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  33. ^ "49ers Re-Sign DL Alex Barett; Place WR J.J. Nelson on Injured Reserve". 49ers.com. August 30, 2020. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  34. ^ "49ers Sign DL Cameron Malveaux". 49ers.com. September 2, 2020. Archived from the original on September 2, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  35. ^ "49ers Sign WR Mohamed Sanu; Place WR Richie James on Injured Reserve". 49ers.com. September 18, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  36. ^ "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. September 23, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  37. ^ a b c "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. September 23, 2020. Archived from the original on October 3, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  38. ^ "49ers Claim CB Parnell Motley". 49ers.com. October 13, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  39. ^ "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  40. ^ Gordon, Grant (February 7, 2020). "49ers TE Garrett Celek announces retirement". NFL.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  41. ^ "49ers Trade Defensive Lineman DeForest Buckner". 49ers.com. March 18, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  42. ^ "49ers Release Offensive Lineman Mike Person". 49ers.com. April 1, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  43. ^ Shook, Nick (April 25, 2020). "49ers' Joe Staley announces retirement after 13 years". NFL.com. Retrieved April 25, 2020.[dead link]
  44. ^ "Joe Staley Announces Retirement". 49ers.com. April 25, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  45. ^ a b "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. July 30, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  46. ^ "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. August 4, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  47. ^ "49ers Place OL Spencer Long on Reserve/Retired List". 49ers.com. August 16, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  48. ^ a b c d e f g h "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. September 5, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  49. ^ "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. October 6, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  50. ^ "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. October 20, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  51. ^ "49ers Waive DL Alex Barret and CB Parnell Motley". 49ers.com. October 26, 2020. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  52. ^ "49ers Waive WR Dante Pettis and DL Jullian Taylor". 49ers.com. November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  53. ^ "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  54. ^ "49ers Announce Trade". 49ers.com. October 27, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  55. ^ "49ers Announce Trade". 49ers.com. November 2, 2020. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  56. ^ Patra, Kevin (March 16, 2020). "Colts acquire DeForest Buckner for first-round pick". NFL.com. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  57. ^ Goodbread, Chase (April 23, 2020). "Bucs trade with 49ers to draft OL Tristan Wirfs". NFL.com. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  58. ^ Goodbread, Chase (April 23, 2020). "Niners trade up to select WR Brandon Aiyuk at No. 25". NFL.com. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  59. ^ Shook, Nick (April 25, 2020). "49ers trade Matt Breida to Dolphins for 5th-round pick". NFL.com. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  60. ^ Shook, Nick (April 25, 2020). "Niners acquire Redskins tackle Trent Williams in trade". NFL.com. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  61. ^ "49ers Acquire T Trent Williams". 49ers.com. April 25, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  62. ^ Shook, Nick (April 25, 2020). "Eagles acquire WR Marquise Goodwin from Niners". NFL.com. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  63. ^ a b Shook, Nick (July 27, 2020). "Roger Goodell writes letter to NFL fans as training camps start across U.S." NFL. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  64. ^ Wagoner, Nick (December 19, 2020). "San Francisco 49ers to finish season in Arizona after Santa Clara County extends COVID-19 restrictions". ESPN. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  65. ^ "49ers 31-13 Win Over Jets Spoiled by the Flurry of Injuries". Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  66. ^ Wagoner, Nick (November 6, 2020). "49ers suffer lopsided loss, thanks to $80.8 million in cap space on IR". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  67. ^ Madson, Kyle (November 7, 2020). "Updated list of 49ers on Injured Reserve after Week 9". Niners Wire. Retrieved November 10, 2020.

External links