The
2020 season was the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
' 71st in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL), their 75th overall, and their fourth under the
head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...
/
general manager
A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...
tandem of
Kyle Shanahan
Kyle Michael Shanahan (born December 14, 1979) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence as the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, wh ...
and
John Lynch. The 49ers entered the season as the defending
NFC champions; however, the 49ers failed to improve on their
13–3 season after a Week 8 loss to the
Seattle Seahawks and were eliminated from playoff contention after a Week 15 loss to the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
.
The season saw many key players missing significant time due to injuries, including starting quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo
James Richard Garoppolo (born November 2, 1991), nicknamed Jimmy G, is an American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Illinois, where he set the school r ...
and 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year
Nick Bosa
Nicholas John Bosa (born October 23, 1997) is an American football defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State and was selected second overall by the 49ers in the 20 ...
. The 49ers season ended with a league-high 18 players on injured reserve. Another notable event was the suspension of home games in
Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259, as of the 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring San Benito County together f ...
due to the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, forcing the 49ers to play their final three home games at
State Farm Stadium
State Farm Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Glendale, Arizona, United States, west of Phoenix. It is the home of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) and the annual Fiesta Bowl. State Farm Stadium replaced Sun Devil ...
in
Glendale, Arizona.
Offseason
Roster changes
Free agency
The 49ers entered free agency with the following:
Signings
Departures
Trades
* On October 27, the 49ers traded their 2022 sixth-round selection to the
New York Jets for
defensive end
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...
Jordan Willis and 2021 seventh-round selection.
* On November 2, the 49ers traded
Kwon Alexander
Kwon Alexander (born August 3, 1994) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at LSU. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Alexander has also played for ...
to the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
in exchange for a fifth-round conditional pick in the
2021 NFL Draft
The 2021 NFL Draft was the 86th National Football League Draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland from April 29 to May 1, 202 ...
and LB
Kiko Alonso
Kristian "Kiko" Alonso (born August 14, 1990) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
After a stellar rookie season with the Bills, Alonso missed his second season ...
.
Draft
Notes
* The 49ers traded
LB Eli Harold
Medgar Elisha Harold (born January 20, 1994) is a gridiron football defensive end who is a free agent. He played college football for the University of Virginia Cavaliers.
Early years
Harold attended Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach ...
to the
Detroit Lions in exchange for a conditional seventh-round selection.
* The 49ers traded their second-round selection to the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The ...
in exchange for
DE Dee Ford.
* The 49ers traded their third- and fourth-round selections to the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
in exchange for
WR Emmanuel Sanders
Emmanuel Niamiah Sanders (born March 17, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver who played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at SMU, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third ...
and Denver's fifth-round selection.
* The 49ers traded
DT DeForest Buckner to the
Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a first-round selection (No. 13th overall).
* The 49ers traded their first- and a seventh-round selection (13th and 245th overall) to
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
in exchange for a first- and a fourth-round pick (14th and 117th overall).
* The 49ers traded their first-, fourth- and fifth-round selections (31st, 117th and 176th overall) to
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...
in exchange for a first-round pick (No. 25th overall).
* The 49ers traded their
RB Matt Breida
Matthew John Breida (born February 28, 1995) is an American football running back for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia Southern and signed with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent ...
to
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...
in exchange for a fifth-round pick (No. 153rd overall).
* The 49ers traded their fifth-round selection (No. 156th overall) and a 2021 third-round selection to
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
in exchange for
OT Trent Williams
Trent Williams (born July 19, 1988) is an American football offensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma, where he was recognized as an All-American, and was drafted ...
.
* The 49ers traded their
WR Marquise Goodwin
Marquise Derell Goodwin (born November 19, 1990) is an American football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He also is an Olympian who competed in the long jump in track and field. He was drafted by ...
and a sixth-round selection (No. 210th overall) to
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
in exchange for a sixth-round selection (No. 190th overall).
Undrafted free agents
Staff
Final roster
Preseason
The 49ers' preseason schedule was announced on May 7, but was later canceled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
.
Regular season
Schedule
The 49ers'
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
schedule was announced on May 7.
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Arizona Cardinals
Week 2: at New York Jets
Although the 49ers won easily over the struggling Jets, they suffered devastating injuries on both sides of the ball to
Jimmy Garoppolo
James Richard Garoppolo (born November 2, 1991), nicknamed Jimmy G, is an American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Illinois, where he set the school r ...
,
Raheem Mostert
Dominique Raheem Mostert (born April 9, 1992) is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Purdue.
Mostert attended New Smyrna Beach High School in New Smyrna B ...
,
Tevin Coleman
Tevin Ford Coleman (born April 16, 1993) is an American football running back for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college fo ...
,
Nick Bosa
Nicholas John Bosa (born October 23, 1997) is an American football defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State and was selected second overall by the 49ers in the 20 ...
, and
Solomon Thomas. It got so bad the team's MRI truck broke down.
Week 3: at New York Giants
With
Jimmy Garoppolo
James Richard Garoppolo (born November 2, 1991), nicknamed Jimmy G, is an American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Illinois, where he set the school r ...
sidelined,
Nick Mullens
Nicholas Clayton Mullens (born March 21, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Southern Miss, where he surpassed Brett Favre's single-season r ...
made his first start since
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
. He threw for 343 yards and a touchdown in a blowout win over the Giants.
Week 4: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
With this loss, the 49ers dropped to 2–2.
Nick Mullens
Nicholas Clayton Mullens (born March 21, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Southern Miss, where he surpassed Brett Favre's single-season r ...
struggled mightily in the game with two interceptions, one of which was returned by
Alex Singleton for a touchdown, and was benched afterwards for
C. J. Beathard
Casey Jarrett "C. J." Beathard ( ; born November 16, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa and was drafted in the third round of the 201 ...
. The 49ers drove all the way to within field goal range down by 5, but the clock ran out.
Week 5: vs. Miami Dolphins
With this embarrassing loss, the 49ers dropped to 2–3, already matching last season's loss total.
Jimmy Garoppolo
James Richard Garoppolo (born November 2, 1991), nicknamed Jimmy G, is an American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Illinois, where he set the school r ...
returned from injury but struggled mightily with 2 interceptions, leading to him being benched at halftime for
C. J. Beathard
Casey Jarrett "C. J." Beathard ( ; born November 16, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa and was drafted in the third round of the 201 ...
.
Week 6: vs. Los Angeles Rams
The 49ers bounced back from the previous week.
Jimmy Garoppolo
James Richard Garoppolo (born November 2, 1991), nicknamed Jimmy G, is an American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Illinois, where he set the school r ...
threw 3 touchdowns and 268 yards and the 49ers defense was able to hold a red-hot Rams offense in check. With this win, they improved to 3–3, and won their third straight meeting against the Rams.
Week 7: at New England Patriots
This was quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo
James Richard Garoppolo (born November 2, 1991), nicknamed Jimmy G, is an American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Illinois, where he set the school r ...
's first return to New England since the Patriots traded him to the 49ers in October 2017. Garoppolo played for the Patriots from 2014 to 2017, and was part of their
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
and
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
Super Bowl-winning teams.
Week 8: at Seattle Seahawks
At one point, the 49ers were down 7-30. Despite outscoring the Seahawks 20-7 for the rest of the game, the 49ers dropped to 4-4.
Week 9: vs. Green Bay Packers
In a rematch of the NFC Championship the previous season. Aaron Rodgers threw for 305 yards and 4 touchdowns as the Packers went up 34–3 before the 49ers scored two meaningless touchdowns to make the final score 34–17 and dropping the 49ers to 4–5. As of week 9, the 49ers have a league high 24 players on the reserve lists.
Week 10: at New Orleans Saints
Week 12: at Los Angeles Rams
The 49ers returned from their bye week with some much-needed reinforcement returning from injury: on offense, Raheem Mostert scored a touchdown and 43 yards rushing and Deebo Samuel had 133 receiving yards; on defense, Richard Sherman contributed by grabbing his first interception of the season. The game was largely a defensive struggle. The two teams had four combined turnovers in the first quarter, and the only points scored in the first half came on a Raheem Mostert touchdown and a Matt Gay field goal. Early in the third quarter, the 49ers padded their lead to fourteen points with Javon Kinlaw's pick six and a Robbie Gould field goal. However, the momentum changed quickly as Aaron Donald forced a fumble on Raheem Mostert and it was returned for a touchdown by Troy Hill. The Rams soon scored again on a touchdown run from Cam Akers to take a three-point lead. The Rams' final drives quickly turned to punts while Nick Mullens led the 49ers on two drives resulting in field goals, including the 42-yard game winner by Robbie Gould with no time on the clock.
With the win, the 49ers swept the Rams for the second straight year.
Week 13: vs. Buffalo Bills
Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
in
Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259, as of the 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring San Benito County together f ...
halting all contact sports the 49ers decided to use
State Farm Stadium
State Farm Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Glendale, Arizona, United States, west of Phoenix. It is the home of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) and the annual Fiesta Bowl. State Farm Stadium replaced Sun Devil ...
for 2 games
Week 14: vs. Washington Football Team
Week 15: at Dallas Cowboys
The 49ers traveled to Dallas hoping to keep their season alive, the 49ers struggled throughout the game. The 49ers immediately trailed 17–7, and turned the ball over 4 times against one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Despite fighting back and forth after tying the game, the 49ers never had the lead. San Francisco also allowed Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to return a kickoff for a touchdown, which sealed the 49ers' loss. This loss, combined with the Cardinals' victory over the Eagles, the 49ers were eliminated from playoff contention.
Week 16: at Arizona Cardinals
With this win, the San Francisco 49ers finished 5-3 in away games.
Week 17: vs. Seattle Seahawks
With this loss, the 49ers finished 1-7 at home and are 1-5 in their last 6 games against Seattle.
Standings
Division
Conference
Notes
References
External links
*
*
{{2020 NFL season by team
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
San Francisco 49ers seasons
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...