49ers Struggle in Snowy Weather, Drop to 5-7 With Loss to Bills

Liam O’Connor

In a snowy Week 13 matchup at Highmark Stadium, the San Francisco 49ers suffered a tough 35-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Injuries during the game and turnovers compounded the 49ers’ struggles, leaving them with little chance to overcome Buffalo's late-game surge, and really summarizing the depression that this season has been.

After missing Week 12 due to a shoulder injury, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy made his return to the starting lineup. With the snow and strong winds limiting the passing attack, the offense leaned heavily on its ground game. Purdy completed 11 of 18 passes for 94 yards, but the weather conditions kept him from finding any rhythm in the air.

San Francisco's rushing attack started strong, with All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey and third-year player Jordan Mason combining for 80 yards on the team's first two drives. However, McCaffrey suffered a knee injury on his final carry of the second series and was ruled out for the rest of the game and placed on IR yesterday. Despite the setback, Mason and rookie Isaac Guerendo stepped in admirably. Mason finished with 78 yards on 13 carries, while Guerendo added 19 yards and a touchdown on four carries. Jordan Mason has also been placed on IR and Isaac Guerendo will now be the teams leading back to finish off the season.

While the offense struggled to put points on the board, the 49ers' special teams tried to provide energy coming out of halftime. Deebo Samuel's 60-yard kickoff return to open the second half set up a strong start for San Francisco. Unfortunately, despite the field position, the 49ers' offense couldn't capitalize as Fullback Kyle Juszczyk fumbled the ball at the one yard line which seemed to end the game.

Turnovers were a major factor in the loss, as the 49ers committed three fumbles, all of which were recovered by the Bills. Buffalo’s defense capitalized on these mistakes, including a key fumble recovery that set up a Josh Allen rushing touchdown. While San Francisco's defense held up well for the most part, preventing the Bills from fully capitalizing on every turnover, the damage was done. A second fumble recovery by the Bills in the fourth quarter set up another scoring opportunity.

Final Thoughts

With their playoff hopes hanging in the balance, the 49ers will need to regroup following a frustrating defeat. Injuries, turnovers, and the challenging conditions proved to be too much to overcome in Buffalo's 35-10 victory. San Francisco will look to bounce back as they welcome the Chicago Bears to Levis Stadium this Sunday. This game is surely a must win for the 49ers, and a loss would end their season entirely.