49ers’ Playoff Hopes Decline With 34-24 Week 13 Loss to Bills

For the first time this season, the defense of the 49ers was the direct cause of losing a game.

For the first time this season, the defense of the 49ers was the direct cause of losing a game.

The 49ers fell to the Bills 34-24 on Monday Night Football, which forces their playoff hopes to decline. 

Entering this game, the biggest concern for the 49ers was ultimately the performance of Nick Mullens. It wasn’t so much about what the Bills were going to do because the 49ers needed to play a perfect game regardless to make up for Mullens’ faults. Shockingly enough, the exact opposite happened. Mullens was money against the Bills and actually looked good for the majority of the game.

Give credit where credit is due. Mullens was a reason why the 49ers were even in that game. He stepped up and delivered some sweet throws.

The story of the game is that the 49ers’ defense just could not do anything to slow down Josh Allen. He was like a man possessed. Thanks to the 49ers, Allen’s chances of winning the MVP have increased. 

Anytime he had to scramble, he made a dart to one of his Hall of Fame wide receivers. I’m calling them Hall of Famers because that is what the 49ers made them look like. Stefon Diggs was a mismatch for every single 49ers defender. Even Cole Beasley was having his way with them, which was to be expected once Dontae Johnson was given the start at nickel cornerback.

They had no answer.

Robert Saleh did not have a good game plan and could not make the adequate adjustments to give the 49ers a chance. And to be quite frank, what adjustments could have even been made to make an impact?

What the 49ers needed was an effective pass rush and that obviously has been something they can’t create without Nick Bosa and Dee Ford. Buffalo’s offense was just controlling the ball and sustaining long offensive drives.. By the time it was the third-quarter, the 49ers defense stood no chance. With 3:30 left to go in the fourth-quarter, the Bills had the ball for 34:15. The 49ers had the ball for 22:15.

Just an outright dominating performance by the Bills. And as much as the 49ers’ offense didn’t do much to help their defense with the time of possession, the defense just stood no chance regardless. As bad of a performance it was, the defense of the 49ers is allowed a mulligan given the body of work this season. But now the pressure increases and the playoff hopes for the 49ers decline.