Nov 17, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) scrambles away from Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21) in the third quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

If it wasn't clear before the Week 11 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, it is definitely clear now.

The San Francisco 49ers are hungover from their Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs nine months ago. This is always a question posed to the losing team of a championship game going into the following season. It wasn't pushed too much when the 49ers lost four years ago in their first matchup with the Chiefs because they were an ascending team.

However, this team is older and has endured a ton of hardship. It looks to have finally taken its toll on them this year. Hardly anything has gone right for the 49ers this season and they have themselves to blame. They are their own worst enemy. This team can't hold onto leads to save their lives. It's caused them to lose three easy games to all three of their NFC West opponents.

The writing was on the wall for the 49ers to have a down year in 2024. Shortly after the Super Bowl, I wrote why there shouldn't be any confidence in the 49ers for this season. I brought up three factors to make that case for why a hangover was likely. First, it was dealing with the mental and emotional fatigue. Enduring yet another heartbreaking loss to end their season takes its toll.

The 49ers have experienced that for three years in a row. It diminishes the desire to play hard in the regular season. All the 49ers will look forward to now is getting to the playoffs to give it their all by then. But at this rate, the playoffs look like a fantasy. That is because of the second factor, which is the increased competition in the NFC.

No longer are the 49ers the top dog in the conference. They aren't even top three. So, not only have they regressed, but several teams have improved. It's why losing to the Seahawks this past week now puts their playoff hopes in doubt. Lastly, it is the injuries that are plaguing the 49ers. The 49ers are struggling to stay healthy.

Last year they got amazing injury luck, which was by far their best season for health since they've been playoff contenders. It was unlikely they would come close to that luck, especially with most of their top players being older and known for injuries.

What we're witnessing is a team that has tried to "run it back" with the same core one too many times. It's blowing up in the 49ers' faces and until they accept that, nothing will change. Look at how Kyle Shanahan is calling plays and utilizing players. He is still force-feeding Deebo Samuel despite him being a negatively impactful player.

He is still running Christian McCaffrey into the ground despite having excellent options behind him with Jordan Mason and rookie Isaac Guerendo. There is no open-mindedness to Shanahan as there used to be. He loves his core players and still sees them for their best moments. The issue is that those best moments are long gone, especially for Samuel.

The 49ers will continue to believe that they are an elite, but they're not. It's probably why they don't seem to play with a sense of urgency. They believe they can just turn it on and it'll be fine. Well, it's everything but fine. This team isn't good and is in danger of missing the playoffs. No matter what they say, they are hungover from their Super Bowl loss.

Eventually, the will of these players and coaches becomes fractured after so many heartbreaks. That is why there is such uninspired football being played by them. They haven't dominated any team this year yet and likely won't the rest of the season. Again, until they accept the reality check they were given this past Sunday, nothing is going to change.