Maiocco’s 49ers Report Card: Team grades in sloppy loss to Dolphins originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The 49ers’ NFL playoff hopes came to an official end on a day that unofficially encapsulated their entire season.

“This has happened way too many times this year,” 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa said. “When it rains, it pours.”

In their 29:17 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium, the 49ers repeatedly made crucial errors in all areas of the game.

Mistakes included 11 penalties, including three flags for unnecessary roughness.

“When you get so many penalties, it’s a harbinger of defeat,” Bosa said.

Here’s the report from the 49ers’ Week 16 game against the Dolphins:

Rushing offense

Running back Patrick Taylor got the starting job after injuries to Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo. Taylor didn’t have much to offer on the first drive of the game.

Taylor failed to gain a win on a third-and-1 play, leading to a three-and-out on the opening drive of the game. He finished the game with just 24 yards on eight rushing attempts.

Brock Purdy was the team’s leading rusher with 26 yards on four scrambles. Deebo Samuel added 25 yards on five rushing attempts.

Grade: D

Passing attack

Purdy was having a good day until he was hit while throwing, which contributed to a critical interception in the fourth quarter.

Nick Zakelj failed a stunt by Calais Campbell, resulting in the game-winning interception.

Purdy finished the game with 26 completions on 40 attempts for 313 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.

George Kittle had eight catches for 106 yards, while Samuel had seven catches for 96 yards and a touchdown.

Ricky Pearsall had four catches for 37 yards but had to line up in an illegal formation in the third quarter to eliminate a first-and-goal situation.

Grade: C-plus

Rushing defense

The Dolphins’ yards came too easily on the ground as they controlled the line of scrimmage in the second half.

De’Von Achane had a big day, rushing for 120 yards on 17 carries, including a 50-yard touchdown run that secured the win late in the fourth quarter.

As a team, the Dolphins gained 166 yards on 30 carries, an average of 5.5 yards.

Grade: D-minus

Appropriate defense

Tua Tagovailoa dissected the 49ers with short, well-timed passes. The 49ers couldn’t muster much of a pass rush as Maliek Collins had the only quarterback hit of the game.

The 49ers did a good job against Tyreek Hill, one of the top receivers in the game. He caught just three passes for 29 yards.

Rookie cornerback Renardo Green prevented a touchdown with a pass breakup against Hill in the end zone.

But the 49ers struggled against Achane and tight end Jonnu Smith. Achane had seven catches for 70 yards while Smith had six receptions for 62 yards.

Grade: C-minus

Special teams

Special teams has been a theme all season, and Sunday was no different.

There was only one glaring error, but it ensured that no points remained on the board.

Kicker Jake Moody missed a 41-yard field goal outside the left upright in the third quarter.

He is now at 23 of 30 field goal attempts this season. He made a 21-yard field goal in the second quarter.

Grade: D

Coaching

Kittle made a point of absolving the 49ers’ coaching staff of blame for the many penalties. He said it was entirely down to the players who didn’t do their job.

But of course there is a lot of blame to go around. And that includes the trainers.

Once again, the right moves were not made at the right time to secure victory in a very winnable game.

Grade: D

In total

This game was the story of the 49ers season. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw left early with a right calf injury. The 49ers lost two offensive players, which also proved costly.

The 49ers were plagued by sloppiness in all areas. Six of their penalties came on offense. Some of these punishments came at the worst possible time.

And once again, the 49ers couldn’t get takeaways once they turned it over.

Grade: D-minus