49ers make history with latest late-game collapse vs. NFC West team originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The 49ers’ latest historic achievement is one they won’t be proud of.

San Francisco tied a long-standing NFL record with its 20-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.

The 49ers have suffered three NFC West division losses this season after taking the lead in the final two minutes of regulation, defeating the 2001 Carolina Panthers, 2000 Los Angeles Chargers, 1996 Baltimore Ravens and the 1994 Washington Commanders tied for the most in a season since the 1970 merger, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. (h/t ESPN’s Nick Wagoner)

San Francisco led Seattle 17-13 with 2:00 remaining on Sunday before Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith executed a game-winning touchdown drive.

In Week 5, the 49ers led the Arizona Cardinals 23–21 after two minutes before quarterback Kyler Murray led Arizona’s offense down the field for a go-ahead field goal.

In Week 3, San Francisco led the Los Angeles Rams 24–17 with 2:00 remaining before a Matthew Stafford-led drive ended in a Kyren Williams rushing touchdown and an eventual go-ahead goal two drives later.

Because of those late-game collapses, the 49ers now have a 1-3 record in the NFC West division and would, at best, split the season series with all three of their division rivals if they were to win their Week 15 and Week 18 games against the Rams and Cardinals, respectively.

In a tight division where the first- and last-place teams are separated by just one game, those close losses could come back to haunt San Francisco at the end of the season.

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