Why did the 49ers' Offense Decline Late in the Season?

The offense of the San Francisco 49ers was underwhelming in the most important game of their season.

Losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl is largely credited to them. The defense did their part for almost the entire game, but the offense could never find its groove. Credit to the Chiefs, of course, however the 49ers should've been better on offense still. It is the strength of their team as it has five All-Pro players and a quarterback who was an MVP finalist.

Seeing them get completely stonewalled for most of the game was disappointing to say the least. However, their performance in the Super Bowl was actually predictable. The 49ers' offense had not been playing up to their standards at all in their last five games prior. While the defense were the ones taking the heat a lot, really it was the offense that hadn't been consistent enough.

They didn't show up in the first half against the Detroit Lions, struggled most of the game against the Green Bay Packers, and couldn't dominate the Washington Commanders in Week 17. Basically, the 49ers' offense couldn't muster any more than two quarters of high-level football and it showed in the Super Bowl. So, why did the 49ers' offense decline late in the season?

It all started when they got destroyed against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16 on Christmas day. For whatever reason, the 49ers' offense was never the same after that game. They could not string together a complete game ever again. You have to wonder if the Ravens didn't put out a blueprint on the 49ers.

In a way, the Ravens did to the 49ers what the 49ers did to the Philadelphia Eagles. Of course, the 49ers didn't sputter out of control after the loss to the Ravens. They're too buttoned up of an operation to ever follow the same route as the fluky Eagles. But the loss to the Ravens was enough to throw them off. You could see it with their games after that.

I think what really ruined the 49ers from that loss to the Ravens was that they had their momentum taken away. One thing about the 49ers that made them such an unbeatable force is the momentum they had. They looked unstoppable with no team in sight capable of beating them. And once the Ravens proved they were beatable, the 49ers sort of lost their dominant swagger.

No longer were they looking their best, and it was because they had to create their own momentum in the game as opposed to having it carried over from previous games. Momentum is everything in this sport, and with that gone, the 49ers found themselves struggling offensively to start off every game going forward. They never were the same and it ended up factoring into their Super Bowl loss.