Is finishing games the biggest issue for the 49ers currently?

The San Francisco 49ers faced another disappointing defeat on Sunday afternoon, falling short in a 20-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks to drop to 5-5 on the year and 1-3 in divisional play.

It was a game in which the 49ers held a lead for much of the day, but couldn't ultimately seal the deal, with the Seahawks pulling off the comeback by scoring a touchdown with just 12 seconds left in the game on Sunday.

Sunday's loss brought up a recurring issue for the 49ers: finishing games.

Looking at San Francisco's five losses in 2024, four of them have come with the team either trailing by one score or leading entering the fourth quarter. Ultimately, they now stand at .500 in a competitive NFC playoff picture , with oddsmakers now favoring them to actually outright miss the postseason for the first time since 2020.

Is finishing games the biggest issue for the 49ers currently?

Given the way they've struggled in losses, and even in some of their close victory, it's hard to say otherwise.

Looking specifically in the fourth quarter, the 49ers have really struggled on the offensive end when holding a one-score lead, as they've only scored on two of their nine drives in those situations. Those two scores came in San Francisco's 36-24 win over Seattle back in Week 6.

Apart from that? It's been duds, which has allowed teams to creep back and pull off improbable comeback victories against San Francisco, leaving them in their current dilemma.

Looking specifically at Sunday, the 49ers held a 17-13 lead with just over nine minutes left in the game and even had a chance to hand the kill shot as Seattle turned it over on downs, leaving the ball in San Francisco's hands with under four minutes left.

Well, the 49ers had opportunities, even getting inside Seattle territory with a 1st & 10 at the Seahawks 46-yard line. But, the offense sputtered from there, with Brock Purdy missing Deebo Samuel high on a dig on 2nd & 11, leading to a punt that spearheaded the eventual game-winning drive for the Seahawks.

"I'm just extremely disappointed," head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game. "I thought we had a chance to put them away a number of times throughout the game. I thought the penalties we had on a number of drives just killed us. I thought we had some good momentum and then had a penalty that kind of ended the drive on two big drives. That cost us points on both of them.

"Still should have put it away there on that last drive and had every opportunity to, and missed a couple opportunities to do that. And when we did that, we gave them a chance. I thought our defense played great all game until that last drive. But let them hang around, and when you let people hang around, that's what happens."

However, as Shanahan mentioned, the only problem isn't finishing games; it's also being in a position where the team has to constantly find a way to actually finish them, which relates to the struggles during games.

On Sunday, there were two scoring opportunities derailed by penalties, as the 49ers were forced to settle for a field goal in the red zone (again) and then were taken completely out of field goal range on another chance.

If those drives are converted into something else, it's a different story on Sunday, but that has been the case all year for San Francisco.

Back in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams , the 49ers had a 21-7 lead. They then kicked a field goal deep in the red zone and had a missed field goal on consecutive drives, allowing the Rams to claw back and tie the game. Add in a struggle to close with a major Ronnie Bell drop on San Francisco's final drive and a De'Vondre Campbell defensive pass interference on the other end and it's a 27-24 loss.

Against the Arizona Cardinals , the 49ers held a 23-10 lead at halftime, which should've been much more if not for three field goals in the red zone. Then, in the second half, San Francisco had an interception, turnover on downs, and a fumble, with the latter two coming in Arizona territory, allowing the Cardinals to come back. Add in another interception to close out the game and you get a 24-23 loss.

In Week 7 versus the Kansas City Chiefs , San Francisco went into halftime with a 14-6 deficit, thanks to them not capitalizing on good field position once and kicking a field goal deep in the red zone. They had the opportunity to climb back into the game in the second half, but Purdy had an interception with the 49ers driving into opponent territory down 14-12. That was followed by another pick at the Chiefs five-yard line on the ensuing drive, ending any chance of a comeback.

That brings us to Sunday's meltdown, where the 49ers didn't do enough early and then, once again, weren't able to finish.

The biggest problem is that the 49ers just aren't a good football team currently. They're not able to play consistently well over four quarters and that's even seen in some of their wins, where they have to fend off comeback efforts from teams.

They don't capitalize on enough opportunities early on and then it really comes back to bite them when teams claw back because they're not a good finishing team. Until that gets fixed, the rollercoaster ride will continue this season.