Maiocco’s observations: The 49ers’ playoff chances decrease with the loss to the Rams

Maiocco’s Observations: 49ers’ playoff chances decline with loss to Rams originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SANTA CLARA – The 49ers defense delivered a great performance against the powerful Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.

But the offense dropped the ball in a 12-6 loss to the Rams at Levi’s Stadium.

And that’s how the 49ers’ 2024 season effectively ended.

A week earlier, the Rams delivered offensive fireworks with a 44-42 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

The 49ers’ defense certainly played well enough to win on Thursday, but Brock Purdy and the offense couldn’t get things going.

Here are the takeaways from the 49ers’ loss, which reduces their season record to 6-8:

Samuel’s hard sledding

Wide receiver Deebo Samuel took to social media this week to announce that he is not having any issues. He suggested that he simply lacked options.

When he got his big chance on Thursday evening, he missed it.

In a 3-3 game midway through the third quarter, Purdy delivered a perfectly thrown pass to Samuel that would have yielded much more than a first down on a third-and-10 play from the Rams’ 29.

But Samuel dropped the pass and the 49ers had to settle for a field goal to make it 6-3.

Samuel failed to capitalize on his opportunities as his production once again fell short of expectations.

Coach Kyle Shanahan seemed to make it a point to get Samuel involved from the start of the game. But the 49ers’ first offensive play – Purdy’s pass to Samuel – failed incompletely.

Samuel was targeted seven times and caught just three passes for 16 yards. He also had two rushing attempts for just 3 yards.

Greenlaw jumps in again

Linebacker Dre Greenlaw returned to the starting lineup and made an immediate impact on the field.

Greenlaw played nearly every first-half snap in his first game since starting the first 12 defensive plays of the Super Bowl on Feb. 11.

He was hardly used in the second half as he appeared to be wearing a brace on his knee on the sidelines. The 49ers did not provide an update on Greenlaw’s injuries, indicating he was not ruled out of the game for injury-related reasons.

Greenlaw made his season debut after spending the first 13 games on the physically unable to perform list. The 49ers opened the training window for him on November 27th so he could slowly work his way back into football shape.

Greenlaw was on the field for 28 of the 49ers’ 30 defensive plays in the first half. It didn’t take long for him to get back into the swing of things as he led the team with eight tackles in 30 minutes.

It was crucial for Greenlaw to get back on the field before the end of the season as he is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.

Dee Winters and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles got a lot of playing time alongside Warner in the second half.

The race for the NFC West

The 49ers have posted an 11-1 record in the NFC West over the last two seasons.

But this season hasn’t been like any other for the 49ers.

The 49ers have stumbled badly within the division, which will cost them a fourth straight playoff berth.

The Rams have beaten the 49ers this season, including a game in Week 3 in which they rallied from a 24-14 deficit in the fourth quarter.

The 49ers fall to 6-8 this season. Although they are not mathematically eliminated from the postseason, they have virtually no chance after losing four of five division games.

The 49ers return to action next week in Miami before returning home to face the Detroit Lions, currently the NFC’s best team. San Francisco closes the season in Week 18 against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Seattle Seahawks (8-5) are in the lead in the NFC West but are coming off two difficult games in back-to-back weeks.

After facing the Green Bay Packers (9-4) at home on Sunday, the Seahawks face the Minnesota Vikings (11-2) in Week 15.

Seattle closes the season with a game at the Chicago Bears in Week 17 and at the Los Angeles Rams in the season finale.