The 2014 season was the San Francisco 49ers' 65th in the National Football League (NFL), their 69th overall, and their fourth and final season under the head coach/general manager tandem of Jim Harbaugh and Trent Baalke. It was also the 49ers' inaugural season playing home games at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, after playing at Candlestick Park for 42 seasons from 1971 to 2013.
The 49ers were favorites to make another Super Bowl run at the beginning of the season. However, despite a 7–4 start, the 49ers suffered a late-season collapse, losing four of their final five games, and failing to improve on their 12–4 record from 2013. With their loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15, the 49ers were mathematically eliminated from the postseason for the first time since the 2010 season. After the season ended, it was announced that Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers mutually agreed to end his contract with the team, which Harbaugh later disputed.
Despite missing significant starters on the defensive side of the ball due to injuries for most of the season (including Pro Bowlers NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis), the 49ers still finished with the NFL's fifth ranked defense in terms of total yards. They also led the league in interceptions with 23, led by cornerback Perrish Cox, who had five. The 49ers defense also finished fourth in the league in total takeaways with 29. The offense, on the other hand, struggled mightily. The 49ers finished 30th in passing yards per game, 25th in the league averaging just 19.1 points per game, while Colin Kaepernick was sacked 52 times during the season, a team record. From Weeks 7–15, the 49ers averaged just 13.8 points per game, last in the league. During that same stretch, they hit the twenty-point mark just once. They were also outscored by 81 points in the second half of games, and scored just one offensive touchdown in the fourth quarter all year. As a result, offensive coordinator Greg Roman was fired after the season ended.
Offseason
Roster changes
Free agents Position Player 2014 Team Notes WR Anquan Boldin UFA San Francisco 49ers Signed 2-year/$12 million deal SS Donte Whitner UFA Cleveland Browns Signed 4-year/$28 million deal CB Tarell Brown UFA Oakland Raiders Signed 2-year/$6 million deal CB Perrish Cox RFA San Francisco 49ers K Phil Dawson UFA San Francisco 49ers Signed 2-year/$6 million deal RB Anthony Dixon UFA Buffalo Bills Signed 3-year/$3.5 million deal DE Demarcus Dobbs RFA San Francisco 49ers Tendered one-year contract C Jonathan Goodwin UFA New Orleans Saints Signed a 1-year deal WR Mario Manningham UFA New York Giants Signed with the Giants March 18 QB Colt McCoy UFA Washington Redskins Signed with the Redskins April 3 FB Bruce Miller UFA San Francisco 49ers Signed 3-year extension WR Kassim Osgood UFA San Francisco 49ers Signed one-year deal LB Michael Wilhoite ERFA San Francisco 49ers Tendered one-year contract CB Eric Wright UFA San Francisco 49ers Signed one-year deal
Signings Position Player 2013 Team Notes SS Antoine Bethea Indianapolis Colts signed March 11 CB Chris Cook Minnesota Vikings signed March 14 QB Blaine Gabbert Jacksonville Jaguars traded March 11 for 6th round draft pick OT Jonathan Martin Miami Dolphins traded March 11 for conditional draft pick WR Brandon Lloyd Retired signed April 15 WR Stevie Johnson Buffalo Bills traded May 9 for conditional draft pick LB Blake Costanzo Chicago Bears Signed June 3
Departures Position Player 2014 Team Notes CB Carlos Rogers Oakland Raiders released March 10 CB Eric Wright retired June 17 RB LaMichael James released September 8 RB Marcus Lattimore retired November 5
2014 NFL draft
+ San Francisco 49ers 2014 NFL Draft selections Draft order Player name Position Height Weight College Notes Round Choice Overall 1 30 30 Jimmie Ward Safety 5'11" 193 NIU 2 24 56Traded to the Denver Broncos From Chiefs 25 57 Carlos Hyde Running back 6'0" 230 Ohio State From Dolphins 29 61Traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars 31 63Traded to the Miami Dolphins From Broncos 3 6 70 Marcus Martin Center 6'3" 320 USC From Jaguars 13 77 Chris Borland Linebacker 5'11" 248 Wisconsin From Titans 30 94Traded to the Cleveland Browns 36 100 Brandon Thomas Offensive tackle 6'3" 317 lbs Clemson Compensatory pick 4 6 106 Bruce Ellington Wide receiver 5'9" 197 lbs South Carolina From Browns 29 129 Dontae Johnson Cornerback 6'2" 195 lbs NC State 5 10 150 Aaron Lynch Outside linebacker 6'5" 250 lbs South Florida From Jaguars 30 170 Keith Reaser Cornerback 6'0" 180 lbs Florida Atlantic 31 171Traded to the Miami Dolphins From Broncos 6 4 180 Kenneth Acker Cornerback 6'0" 185 lbs SMU From Browns 29 205Traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars 7 27 242Traded to the Denver Broncos From Saints 28 243 Kaleb Ramsey Defensive tackle 6'1" 300 lbs Boston College From Panthers 30 245 Trey Millard Fullback 5'10" 239 lbs Oklahoma Notes The 49ers acquired an additional second-round selection (No. 56 overall) as part of a trade that sent quarterback Alex Smith to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs originally sent a third-round selection to the 49ers, however, the selection was upgraded to a second-rounder after a condition was met in which the Chiefs won a minimum of eight games during the season. The Broncos traded their second- and fifth-round selections in 2014 (Nos. 63 and 171 overall, respectively) as well a fifth-round selection in the 2015 NFL draft to the 49ers in exchange for a second- and seventh-round selection (Nos. 56 and 242 overall). The 49ers traded the second- and fifth-round selections they acquired from Denver to Miami in exchange for Miami's second-round selection (No. 57 overall) Jacksonville traded their third- and fifth-round selections (Nos. 70 and 150 overall) to the 49ers in exchange for the 49ers second-round selection (No. 61 overall). The 49ers acquired an additional third-round selection (No. 77 overall) as part of a trade that sent their 2013 third-round selection to the Tennessee Titans. Cleveland traded their fourth- and sixth-round selections (Nos. 106 and 180 overall) to the 49ers in exchange for the 49ers third-round selection (No. 95 overall). The 49ers traded their sixth-round selection (No. 205 overall) to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for quarterback Blaine Gabbert. The 49ers acquired an additional seventh-round selection as (No. 242 overall) part of a trade that sent linebacker Parys Haralson to the New Orleans Saints. The 49ers acquired an additional seventh-round selection (No. 243 overall) as part of a trade that sent safety Colin Jones to the Carolina Panthers.
Undrafted free agents Position Player College Notes QB Kory Faulkner SIU waived July 29 LB Shayne Skov Stanford waived August 30 TE Asante Cleveland Miami waived August 30 LB Morgan Breslin USC waived May 27 S LJ McCray Catawba College made the 53-man roster OT Fou Fonoti Michigan State waived July 29 C Dillon Farrell New Mexico made the 53-man roster RB Glenn Winston Michigan State waived August 30 OT Michael Phillipp Oregon State waived August 30 TE Kevin Greene USC waived August 25
Staff
Final roster
Schedule
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 August 7 at Baltimore Ravens L 3–23 0–1 M&T Bank Stadium Recap 2 August 17 Denver Broncos L 0–34 0–2 Levi's Stadium Recap 3 August 24 San Diego Chargers W 21–7 1–2 Levi's Stadium Recap 4 August 28 at Houston Texans W 40–13 2–2 NRG Stadium Recap
Regular season San Francisco began the season strong at 4–2, but struggled heavily down the stretch as they lost 6 of their last 10 to fall out of contention. The 49ers entered the season looking to improve on their 12–4 record from the previous year, but by Week 9 had exceeded their loss total from the season before and had a non-winning record for the first time since their 2010 campaign. In Week 15, the 49ers were eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to Seattle. Although the 49ers has the fourth ranked defense in the league for 2014, the 49ers offense finished at the bottom five in many offensive categories. From Weeks 7–15, the 49ers were last in the league in points scored, averaging 13.9 points per game and scoring 20 or more points just once (in a Week 10 win against New Orleans). Colin Kaepernick was sacked more than 30 times during that stretch and the 49ers were outscored in the second half of 7 out of those 8 games by a wide margin. Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 7 at Dallas Cowboys W 28–17 1–0 AT&T Stadium Recap 2 September 14 Chicago Bears L 20–28 1–1 Levi's Stadium Recap 3 September 21 at Arizona Cardinals L 14–23 1–2 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap 4 September 28 Philadelphia Eagles W 26–21 2–2 Levi's Stadium Recap 5 October 5 Kansas City Chiefs W 22–17 3–2 Levi's Stadium Recap 6 at St. Louis Rams W 31–17 4–2 Edward Jones Dome Recap 7 October 19 at Denver Broncos L 17–42 4–3 Sports Authority Field at Mile High Recap 8 Bye 9 November 2 St. Louis Rams L 10–13 4–4 Levi's Stadium Recap 10 November 9 at New Orleans Saints W 27–24 5–4 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap 11 November 16 at New York Giants W 16–10 6–4 MetLife Stadium Recap 12 November 23 Washington Redskins W 17–13 7–4 Levi's Stadium Recap 13 November 27 Seattle Seahawks L 3–19 7–5 Levi's Stadium Recap 14 December 7 at Oakland Raiders L 13–24 7–6 O.co Coliseum Recap 15 December 14 at Seattle Seahawks L 7–17 7–7 CenturyLink Field Recap 16 San Diego Chargers L 35–38 7–8 Levi's Stadium Recap 17 December 28 Arizona Cardinals W 20–17 8–8 Levi's Stadium Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: at Dallas Cowboys
Game Notes The 49ers scored touchdowns on each of three Cowboys turnovers, all in the first quarter. Even though the Cowboys held a significant edge in 1st-quarter time of possession (13:26 to 1:34), the 49ers had a 21–3 lead due to the turnovers. With the 49ers up 28–3, the Cowboys found themselves with their largest halftime deficit in a home opener ever. Although the 49ers did not score again in the second half, they held the Cowboys to only 14 more points, and won the game.
Week 2: vs. Chicago Bears
In a pattern similar to the Dallas game of week one, the Niners jumped out to an early 17–0 lead, only to fall victim to a hailstorm of penalties, turnovers and a strong Bears comeback, 28–20. A blocked punt led to a Niner touchdown in the third minute of the game, but a seven-minute drive later in the quarter stalled in the red zone and only yielded a field goal. After a short punt in the second quarter, the Niners scored a second touchdown, but Chicago answered with their first touchdown just before halftime. To start the third quarter, the Niners held the ball for more than nine minutes. But they once again failed in the red zone, and settled for another field goal. The Bears scored three touchdowns in the second half to emerge with the win. The Niners were called on 16 penalties for 118 yards, losing one touchdown run, and keeping Bears' drives alive on multiple occasions. Colin Kaepernick threw three interceptions, lost a fumble, and was called for unsportsmanlike conduct after an interception. The Niners outgained Chicago 361–216, and held the Bears to only 46 rushing yards, but the overwhelming weight of the turnovers and penalties negated any other advantage. The Bears scored touchdowns the last four times they had the ball. This was also the first time since 1985 that the Bears won a road game against the 49ers, ending the Bears' 8-game road losing streak against the 49ers (the Bears were outscored in those 8 losses by a score of 271 to 49).
Week 3: at Arizona Cardinals