© Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
SANTA CLARA — Throughout last week, the 49ers drilled home the same point: finishing close games with wins. After they drubbed the Oakland Raiders, 34-3, in Week 9, players and coaches praised the team’s ability to finish, executing that mission. In all reality, they did not have to finish when it mattered most. They entered the fourth quarter leading by 28 points.
One week later, the 49ers faced a truer test: finishing out a game that was a one-possession battle for all but 93 seconds.
After the 49ers connected on a field goal with fewer than three minutes remaining, they needed one stop to win. They did not get it, courtesy of one frustrating turn of events after the next.
When they forced third-and-12, 49ers linebacker Malcolm Smith was flagged for holding, gifting the Giants with a first down. When 49ers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon played perfect coverage, he did not get his head turned when the ball was thrown his way, and he was flagged for pass interference. The Giants were given enough late chances to capitalize without additional help. Two plays after Giants running back Saquon Barkley ripped a 23-yard gain, Giants receiver Sterling Shepard caught the game-winning pass in the corner of the end zone.
The 49ers furiously fought back, only to fall short, fittingly: quarterback Nick Mullens sailed a desperation pass over the end zone. The Giants prevailed, 27-23.
The 49ers lost a game in which they trailed for fewer than six minutes.
One week after they exulted in solving the finishing issue, the 49ers reverted to square one.
“It’s obviously something we have to figure out because it’s happened multiple times this season, in big games,” 49ers tight end George Kittle said after Monday’s loss. “And so if we don’t figure it out, it’s not going to be a fun season.”
The 49ers (2-8) have had second-half leads in six games this year. In two of their losses, they held a lead with fewer than three minutes remaining.
Monday night provided a snapshot, displayed to the country on primetime, of San Francisco’s season. There have been two chief issues biting this team: losing the turnover battle and wilting in the fourth quarter. Monday featured both.
The 49ers lost the turnover battle, 2-0, courtesy of two Nick Mullens interceptions. Mullens, who played a solid game, threw an interception on the first play of San Francisco’s second offensive drive, deep in its own territory. Three plays later, the Giants scored a touchdown.
“You give them a touchdown, we lose by what, four?” Mullens said postgame. “So, you really realize that every single play in the game matters. It’s not okay when mistakes happen.”
Mullens’ second interception came on the first play of the fourth quarter. The 49ers had just entered Giants’ territory. Mullens threw a pass behind Marquise Goodwin on a crossing pattern, Goodwin bobbled the ball, and the Giants picked it off. The 49ers subsequently forced a stop, but they received the ball deep in their own territory. They punted after three plays.
San Francisco’s minus-13 turnover differential is second-worst in the NFL. The only game in which the 49ers won the turnover battle this year, Week 2 against Detroit, they won.
The turnovers partially coincide with the fourth-quarter woes. The 49ers average just 3.6 points per fourth quarter, the second-worst mark in the league. Comparatively, they average 7.9 points per third quarter, the third-most in the NFL.
That disparity is hard to ignore, though difficult to explain. Maybe Kyle Shanahan is masterful at scripting the opening possessions out of halftime, then runs out of creativity later in games. Maybe the 49ers’ lack of outside playmakers — they do not have a wide receiver ranking in the top 84 in receiving — is exposed. Maybe the 49ers’ youth stumbles when pressure mounts.
There are several variables at stake, all of which stem from the same couple issues.
Two weeks ago, Shanahan emphasized the importance of “closers.”
“You can do a lot of things throughout a game, but when it comes down to the end when we need to close people out, and we need some closers to do that,” Shanahan said.
The closer Shanahan speaks of is already found on the roster: Jimmy Garoppolo.
His 2017 magic is too perfect to expect in future years, but he has consistently showed he could produce when it mattered most. In the past two seasons, the 49ers are 3-0 in games decided by four points or fewer with Garoppolo as the starter. They are 0-9 in such games when he does not play.
In all reality, the 49ers need closers all over the field if they want to resolve these issues in future seasons, even when Garoppolo returns. Until they do that, the painful losses will continue to resurface.