The San Francisco 49ers dropped another ugly divisional game at Levi’s Stadium, falling to 5-5 on the season with a 20-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

It was another ugly game for the 49ers as they simply failed to close out the game despite having a number of opportunities to do so, allowing Seattle to stage a comeback with quarterback Geno Smith scoring the go-ahead touchdown with only 12 seconds.

Offensively, the 49ers really struggled to finish drives, which has been the case all year, thanks to penalties and inconsistencies.

Defensively, San Francisco looked good enough, making stops much of the afternoon, but faltered on the final drive when Seattle was able to drive 80 yards for the winning score on Sunday.

Here are three quick insights from the 49ers’ 20-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Finishing games

How often will there be second halves and finals for the 49ers in 2024? The loss dropped San Francisco to 2-4 in one-score games, and again struggled to hold onto its lead in the second half.

This game was filled with missed opportunities for San Francisco from start to finish, ultimately allowing the Seahawks to capitalize and intervene again with the finish.

Looking back at the first half, the 49ers defense came out of a Seattle field goal with a crucial third down sack, which led to a punt and a touchback that allowed the offense to work. But two plays later, Brock Purdy forced a ball to Christian McCaffrey and threw his eighth pick of the year, and Seattle scored a field goal.

Later in the half, the 49ers got into field goal range and were pulled for penalties, forcing a punt.

But the real damage came in the second half, where Seattle outscored San Francisco 14-10 en route to the three-point victory. It all started with a positive defensive play, as Isaac Yiadom intercepted Geno Smith, but the 49ers could only muster a field goal in return, despite starting at the Seahawks 27-yard line.

After both sides traded touchdowns, giving San Francisco a 17-13 lead, the defense got a crucial turnover on downs, giving the offense a chance to get the kill shot in with under four minutes remaining.

Once again the 49ers reached Seattle territory, but as has been the case all year, they were unable to successfully end the game, instead punting into plus territory once again at the Seahawks’ 42-yard line .

Defensively, San Francisco faltered from there, as Geno Smith led an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive over 2:26 to give the Seahawks the go-ahead goal with just 12 seconds left, using his legs several times to overwhelms the 49ers.

San Francisco has suffered a number of ugly collapses this year. But this one might be the worst, as the 49ers had serious playoff implications in this game. They are now 5-5 and fourth in the NFC West, due to their 1-3 division record.

Sanctions

Time and time again this year, the 49ers found themselves in games that were much closer than you would expect because they were unable to play quality football for four quarters.

Penalties were one of their biggest problems on Sunday, as San Francisco saw some of their chances derailed by discipline issues.

Returning to their long drive near the end of the first half, the 49ers drove all the way to Seattle’s 34-yard line with a 7-6 lead, looking to make a push before halftime. But they received three penalties during the stage, the last of which was the most expensive.

Colton McKivitz had a false start on 1st and 10, backing San Francisco and forcing them into a less than ideal dropback situation. McKivitz promptly gave up a sack on the next play and the 49ers had a 2nd-and-24 that they couldn’t recover from. Suddenly, an opportunity to score points ended with a punt in the opponent’s territory.

To start the second half, the 49ers were in a great spot, intercepting Geno Smith and starting at the Seattle 27-yard line. They drove to Seattle’s 16-yard line, but the trouble started.

Aaron Banks was initially flagged for holding on to a Brock Purdy eight-yard play, and the 49ers had Christian McCaffrey’s 14-yard run taken away by an illegal formation penalty. So two positive plays instead resulted in a 1st and 25, and the 49ers never recovered, instead kicking another field goal in the red zone.

These two chances could have been the gamechanger for San Francisco in a one-goal game, but as has been the case several times this year, they failed to make that happen.

WR hierarchy

With tight end George Kittle out, players had to step up at the skill positions. That’s why I highlighted rookie wideout Ricky Pearsall as a possible go-to option, with teams focusing on Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings.

Well, even with the attention, Jennings thrived on Sunday, catching 10 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown. More specifically, he targeted quarterback Brock Purdy with the game on the line, and the slot wideout was delivered.

On San Francisco’s first touchdown drive, Jennings was targeted on five of Purdy’s seven passing attempts, catching four passes for 42 yards, including a three-yard touchdown that put the 49ers ahead 17–13.

Of those four catches, two came on 3rd and 11th, with the latter falling a pass short and Jennings having to weave through multiple defenders to get the first. Jennings embodies exactly what the 49ers are looking for in their players: a gamer who adapts to his role and plays with pure physicality.

With Jennings commanding a high volume, it was a quiet game for the rest of the receiver group as they ultimately combined to catch four passes for 22 yards, with Christian McCaffrey being the team’s second leading receiver.

So while Jennings was clearly positive for the 49ers, there was a lot to be desired from the rest of the field here too, leading to an uninspiring day from San Francisco.

Still, that two-year, $15.4 million contract seems like a bargain at this point.