Recap
AI summary, sourced from 1 period article (ESPN AP)
Kyler Murray threw for 242 yards and four touchdowns, two to Greg Dortch, and the Arizona Cardinals beat the 49ers 47-24 in the season finale to finish 9-8. Tony Jones Jr. capped the scoring with a 46-yard rushing touchdown that gave Arizona its highest point total since 2015. Joshua Dobbs, starting for an injured Brock Purdy, threw for 326 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Marvin Harrison Jr. finished with 8 TD catches, tying the Cardinals' rookie record. The 49ers finished 6-11, missing the playoffs one year after losing the Super Bowl.[1][2]
Columnist recap
AI summary, sourced from 1 period article (ESPN AP)
The 49ers ended the season 6-11. The Cardinals scored 47 points. Marvin Harrison Jr. tied the Cardinals' rookie record for receiving touchdowns. Tony Jones Jr. broke off a 46-yard rushing touchdown to push Arizona to its highest point total since 2015.
A year after the Super Bowl loss, the 49ers missed the playoffs. Six wins, eleven losses, an injury report that read like a depth chart in October, a quarterback who got to start the finale because Brock Purdy was hurt. Joshua Dobbs threw for 326 yards. The 49ers had three touchdown drives. None of the math was going to add up to anything meaningful.
The season is over. The questions about Kyle Shanahan, John Lynch, the Aiyuk extension, the McCaffrey contract, the offensive line, the defensive overhaul, all of them get asked starting Monday. 2024 was the year a Super Bowl loss became a 6-11 season faster than anyone associated with the franchise wanted to admit was possible.
By the numbers
AI summary, sourced from 1 period article (ESPN AP)
Cardinals 47, 49ers 24. Margin: -23. Final 2024 record: 6-11, -47 differential.
- Kyler Murray: 242 yards, 4 TDs (2 to Dortch).
- Marvin Harrison Jr.: 1 TD catch, ties Cardinals rookie record (8).
- Joshua Dobbs (SF): 326 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT.
- Tony Jones Jr.: 46-yard rushing TD (closing score).
- Cardinals' highest point total since 2015.
- Cardinals finish 9-8; 49ers 6-11.
- 49ers missed playoffs one year after losing the Super Bowl.
Film room
AI summary, sourced from 1 period article (ESPN AP)
A 47-24 loss in Arizona to close 2024. The 49ers finish 6-11.
How it unfolded
Kyler Murray opened with a touchdown drive: a 14-yard score to Trey McBride. Joshua Dobbs answered with a touchdown to Jauan Jennings. Arizona scored on three of its next four possessions; by the half it was 28-10. The 49ers added two scoring drives in the second half but the deficit was too much. Tony Jones Jr.'s 46-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter sealed it. Marvin Harrison Jr. caught his 8th touchdown of the season to tie the Cardinals' rookie record held by Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.
The turning point
The second Cardinals scoring drive of the first half. With the 49ers having cut it to 14-10 and the offense functioning, Murray drove the field again and Greg Dortch caught his first of two touchdowns to push it to 21-10. The 49ers never threatened to make it a one-score game again.
By the numbers
Dobbs 326 passing yards on 40 attempts with two TDs and two INTs. Jennings five catches for 67 with a TD. Pearsall five catches for 61 with a TD. Murray 242 passing with four touchdowns. Tony Jones Jr. the long rushing score.
Personnel watch
Purdy out with elbow. McCaffrey IR. Aiyuk IR. Dobbs in the start. The 49ers' offense for the season's last game was Dobbs, Mason, Pearsall, Jennings and Kittle, the kind of depth chart that should have produced a season the team did not have.
What it means
The season ends 6-11, the first losing year for Kyle Shanahan since 2018 and the first year after a Super Bowl appearance the 49ers have not won double-digit games in over a decade. The offseason begins with questions about every layer of the roster.
