49ers head home early following a trying season that started with Super Bowl hopes
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) walks off the field after a loss to the Detroit Lions in an NFL football game Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Jed Jacobsohn]
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — After three straight seasons of long playoff runs, the San Francisco 49ers are packing up and heading home early for a change. A season that started with contract disputes that kept stars out of training camp, was a rough one until the end with the 49ers enduring several off-field tragedies, injuries to key players and inconsistent play that left one of the preseason Super Bowl favorites playing out the string the final few weeks of a 6-11 campaign.
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San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan argues a call with an official during the first half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale, Ariz., Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Rick Scuteri