Finding potential “winners” in a game in which they topped 25 points, passed for 133 yards and nearly doubled yards per pass while losing the turnover battle 3-0 was as difficult as the San Francisco 49ers, who The ball prevented the Buffalo Bills from running on Sunday evening.

One team looked 5-7 while the other looked 10-2. Sometimes you are outclassed. This is what it felt like watching the Niners in Week 13.

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The running backs

Christian McCaffrey was on pace to surpass 100 yards on the ground. He finished the game with 53 yards on seven carries. Jordan Mason nearly reached 100 yards himself, needing just 13 carries to reach 78 yards. Isaac Guerendo had a 15-yard touchdown run.

The trio combined for seven runs of at least 10 yards, +42 rushing yards above expectations, in a game that was a reminder of how dominant the Niners can be on the ground.

Evan Anderson

The undrafted rookie defensive tackle continues to make a name for himself. For the second week in a row, Anderson was among the team’s leaders in run stops.

Anderson finished the game with four and had one quarterback pressure. Expectations were low entering Sunday night with multiple starters deployed on both sides of the ball, but Anderson continues to show promise.

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The run defense

The 49ers allowed 220 rushing yards; Frankly, that number seems low. James Cook had as many yards after contact (94) as Brock Purdy had a pass. Every Bills ball carrier had his way.

It’s not like the 49ers were missing tackles left and right. According to PFF, the defense made six errors. The problem was being able to make a tackle, which they couldn’t do.

Remember how lively the defense looked in Week 1? The energy was on another level. I would argue that up until these two weeks, the Niners’ effort and competitive spirit has kept them alive and in games. Now that same spirit looks broken.

The offseason defensive acquisitions

The 49ers are getting the same, if not more, production from Sam Okuayinonu as they get from Yetur Gross-Matos. One of those players signed an $18 million contract in the offseason. The other has a base salary of $915,000. The latter didn’t miss any time due to injury either.

Leonard Floyd should be the edge rusher to finally complement Nick Bosa. Floyd was great a week ago against the Green Bay Packers. This performance was followed by a tackle. That’s it. Floyd signed a $20 million contract last offseason.

Defensive tackle Maliek Collins has been the only constant, but he should complement Javon Hargrave.

Linebacker De’Vondre Campbell has been more confident over the last month, but against Buffalo he fell back on some of his old habits. There were series where he rotated with Dee Winters again, which shows how well he played.

It’s also impossible to ignore the Campbell we saw in the first two months of the season, when it felt like the 49ers were playing with ten players on defense.

The leading tacklers against Buffalo were all in the secondary. This shows that the Front 7 was anything but effective.

New game, same errors

On the first offensive attack of the game, Purdy and McCaffrey were not on the same page on a 3rd & 7 in Buffalo territory. It was a piece the two performed blindfolded during McCaffrey’s tenure. Instead of a possible 1st & goal, the Niners had to settle for a field goal.

It was assumed that the red zone issues would drastically improve upon McCaffrey’s return. They don’t have that.

On the ensuing defensive possession, the secondary is warned for an illegal contact penalty on 3rd-and-5. Three third-down conversions later, the Bills find themselves in the end zone.

Jake Moody missed a field goal on the following drive.

A missed tackle leads to a 1-play, 65-yard touchdown run on the next play.

Moody missed another field goal before halftime.

Early in the second half, Kyle Juszczyk fumbled at the one-yard line.

Eventually the defense is stopped, but several passing passes give the ball right back to Buffalo.

When Purdy and Deebo fumbled, the play was out of reach, but that doesn’t excuse the constant mistakes on both sides of the ball.

Multiple injuries are no excuse for staying on the ball. A lot of veterans are on the field, but it’s the players who make the same mistakes, be it a fumble or a penalty.

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Passing game

One team threw the ball to their tight end three times for 69 yards, including a 39-yard gain. The other team targeted their tight end on the first pass play and only targeted him one other time the entire game.

Using George Kittle as a blocker is understandable when you’re missing the left side of your offensive line. That doesn’t mean he has to be an afterthought in the passing game.

Either Ricky Pearsall isn’t as far along as Kyle Shanahan would like, or it’s not good. Because Pearsall, the first-round pick, only had one goal – and he slipped on this play.

Those fretting over breakup statistics will be quiet this week. Here’s how misleading this statistic is. Deebo averaged 5.3 yards. Two of his targets were behind the line of attack. The other three were within ten meters.

I don’t know the 49ers’ passing identity or plan when they fell behind. Purdy hit Jauan Jennings on a long route. So the idea that he wasn’t healthy enough to push the ball down the field doesn’t hold water.

Purdy wasn’t under any more pressure than usual. In fact, it was about the same as Josh Allen that night. PFF recognized Purdy for three turnover plays. He had an ugly interception waiting to happen had it not been for a penalty. Purdy was more accurate at the intermediate level than under 10 yards.

And he did it without having to worry about the lightning. According to Next Gen Stats, the Bills didn’t blitz or play man coverage once. Still, the passing game was inept.

Defensive messaging

It becomes somewhat of an issue during the postgame when one of the defensive players indirectly confronts Nick Sorensen after seeing a formation he wasn’t prepared for. That was Fred Warner a week ago. Kyle Shanahan then has to come back and say, “It’s part of the game,” or something along those lines.

Yesterday the Bills played the same game over and over again. The 49ers couldn’t stop the “Duo” and Buffalo didn’t stop calling them.

Sorensen says all the right things, but the results suggest that his words go in one ear and out the other. Coming back to performance, watching Malik Mustapha’s move should be the epitome of every defender on the field. That’s not it.

When I touched on the jumping up and down on that side of the ball in Week 1, it’s contagious to the defense. We don’t see that anymore. Most players look like they’re just going through the motions.

When that happens, the other team tends to do whatever they want, and that’s what they did on Sunday night.