SANTA CLARA — The big takeaway from the 49ers’ 10th loss of the season was a familiar one.
It’s become a trend as much as anything else that has wrecked the season, with the latest example coming in a 40-34 loss to the Detroit Lions Monday night at Levi’s Stadium.
Into the third quarter, the 49ers’ offense resembled their NFC championship offense from 2023, with quarterbacks Brock Purdy and Jared Goff of the Lions moving their teams at will.
But when safety Kirby Joseph of Detroit picked off Purdy twice, with the 49ers unable to reciprocate against Goff or force a turnover in some other way, the Lions were able to leave with a 14-2 record and will play for the No. 1 seed in the final week of the season against Minnesota, also 14-2.
The 49ers are 6-10.
Beleaguered place kicker Jake Moody left seven points on the field with two long misses (51 and 58 yards) on field goal attempts as well as pushing an extra point try to the right.
But a bigger deal than Moody’s struggles is that an area that was a perceived strength when the 49ers were going to championship games has become their biggest reason for losing games down the stretch.
Since the bye week, when the 49ers were 4-4 and still had hopes of being a division champion and a playoff contender, they have taken the ball away just twice while giving it up 13 times. They are 2-6 in those games heading in to Sunday’s season finale on the road against the Arizona Cardinals.
The only takeaways recorded by the 49ers defense since Week 10 are an interception by Isaac Yiadom against Seattle in Week 11, and a fumble recovery by Evan Anderson against Chicago in Week 14 on a play in which quarterback Caleb Williams simply dropped the ball.
With the 49ers leading 28-24 in the third quarter, Joseph, who leads the NFL with nine interceptions, got a gift pick when Purdy’s pass intended for Ricky Pearsall sailed high. The Lions eventually converted the turnover into a 4-yard Goff-to-Amon-Ra St. Brown touchdown and a 31-28 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Joseph jumped a route over the middle and got his second pick. Not long afterward Jahmyr Gibbs ran 30 yards for a touchdown for a 40-28 lead that put the game away.
Since the takeaway drought started in earnest, opponents in the last eight games have outscored the 49ers 62-10 after turnovers. The 49ers have only 17 takeaways all season, and if that continues in the final they’ll have their lowest defensive total since getting a pathetic seven in 2018.
The 49ers’ problems became clear enough in Weeks 12 and 13 in road games against Green Bay and Buffalo, when they forced no takeaways and turned it over six times, losing the games by a combined 73-20 and essentially making sure they were going nowhere as far as the postseason is concerned.
On offense, at least, the 49ers can examine each turnover and figure out when wrong. On defense it’s harder to define.
“I honestly can’t tell you what’s going on, bro,” safety Ji’Ayir Brown said. “Been a long time since we had a takeaway. Even for myself. This is the only time in my career where I had one interception. I don’t know what it is, man. Honestly.”
The 49ers value takeaways so much they have a specific “ball” meeting each week to promote defensive thievery, whether it be on an interception or recovered fumble. Nick Sorensen ran the meeting last season as a secondary coach when the 49ers finished the season with a plus-10 turnover margin.
The duty this season went to defensive assistant Brandon Staley, and the 49ers are now at a minus-7.
Middle linebacker Fred Warner began the season on a hot streak, forcing four fumbles and returning an interception for a touchdown against New England. He’s created none since.
“It’s the most maddening thing on the planet,” Warner said. “I put a lot on myself to take the ball away for our defense and I haven’t done that so I can’t talk about anybody. You’ve got to look at yourself.”
Chances for takeaways have been scarce, but there have been opportunities. In a 12-6 loss to the Rams, Talanoa Hufanga and Deommodore Lenoir both dropped interception attempts in the first quarter in an otherwise stout defensive performance.
“It’s tough to win when you don’t get the ball like that,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “It didn’t seem like we had many opportunities today and you’ve got to create your own opportunities. This past month I think we’ve created a couple and haven’t come down with them.”
Without the takeaways, opposing offenses have stayed on the field longer and been able to wear down the 49ers’ defense with the running game.
Gibbs’ last touchdown gave him 117 yards on 18 carries — the fifth time in six weeks the 49ers have given up 100 yards or more to an opposing runner with Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs (106 yards on 26 carries), Buffalo’s James Cook (14 carries, 107 yards), the Rams’ Kyren Williams (29 carries, 108 yards) and Miami’s De’Vane Achane (120 yards on 17 carries) being the others. The Jacobs game snapped a 55-game regular-season streak of not giving up 100 yards to an opposing runner.
Defensive end Nick Bosa had a strong game with a pair of sacks and also made plays against the run, but he too hasn’t come through with a key strip sack or a game-changing play when one is required.
“It goes into every level of the defense,” Bosa said. “I know we had two (opportunities) against (Matt) Stafford. Maybe if we get those it sparks a bunch of other ones. You just have to make your plays when they’re there and be in the right spots and I don’t think we’ve done a great job of that this year.”
