Kyle Shanahan could not hide his frustration after the 49ers' 29-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium.
And for good reason.
San Francisco, which was eliminated from playoff contention before the game started, committed 11 penalties for 90 yards against the Dolphins, repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot at inopportune times in an undisciplined affair that left coach Kyle Shanahan frustrated after the game.
"Yeah, that's my big frustration," Shanahan told reporters postgame. "I understand when your backs are against the wall and you have an uphill battle, [but] when you have first-and-goal at the [2-yard line] and you make it 3rd-and-goal at the [18-yard line] or whatever that is and you miss a kick and it's completely something you've done on your own, that's very frustrating. It makes it much harder."
The drive that Shanahan is alluding to came midway through the third quarter when quarterback Brock Purdy's 16-yard pass to wide receiver Deebo Samuel with 6:47 remaining would have set San Francisco up with a first-and-goal from the Miami 2-yard line while trailing 16-10. An illegal formation penalty called on wide receiver Ricky Pearsall negated the play and moved the offense back to the 23-yard line.
Purdy's incomplete pass intended for fullback Kyle Juszczyk on third-and-13 forced a 41-yard Jake Moody field-goal attempt that the second-year kicker missed.
Shanahan was visually upset on the field after the missed kick, and in discussing it after the game, believes it was one Moody should have made.
San Francisco 49ers
Kyle Shanahan was animated on the sideline after Jake Moody's miss 😬 pic.twitter.com/unDKnQoLzr
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) December 22, 2024
"It wasn't good out there missing that kick. I don't know exactly what happened on the snap and the hold, but that's one he's got to make," Shanahan said when asked about his confidence in Moody moving forward.
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Had Moody made the kick in the third quarter, the 49ers would have trailed the Dolphins 22-20 on their final drive late in the fourth quarter before Purdy's game-sealing interception, and potentially would have needed just a field goal to walk away with a win on Sunday.
That mistake, and many others, ultimately helped seal San Francisco's fifth loss in six games.
