Week 13 is in the books. With five weeks left in the 2024 NFL season, the AFC playoff picture is nearly crystalline. With the Broncos' victory in a thrilling "Monday Night Football" game against the Browns, seven AFC teams have a playoff likelihood over 75%, according to ESPN's Football Power Index projections. The NFC is not so clear, as divisional races continue in the West and South. But at least we know what conference to pay attention to in December.
Every Tuesday, I'll spin the previous week of NFL football forward, looking at what the biggest storylines mean and what comes next. We'll take a first look at the consequences of "Monday Night Football," break down a major trend or two and highlight some key individual players and plays. There will be film. There will be stats (a whole section of them). And there will be fun.
This week, we close the door on the 49ers' season -- and maybe their Super Bowl window -- and look at what went wrong. Plus, we give some well-deserved credit to Arthur Smith for the Steelers' offensive breakout and restack our updated All-Film Team roster after 13 weeks. Let's jump in.
Jump to a section:
The Big Thing: What happened to the 49ers?
Updating our All-Film Team list
Second Take: Arthur Smith fixed the PIT offense
Mailbag: Answering questions from ... you
Next Ben Stats: Wild Week 13 stats
"Monday Night Football" spin
The Big Thing: Goodnight, 49ers
Every week, this column will kick off with one wide look at a key game, player or trend from the previous slate of NFL action. What does it mean for the rest of the season?
The San Francisco 49ers are 5-7. The season isn't over -- they have an 8.5% chance to make the playoffs, according to ESPN's Football Power Index projections -- but it sure feels that way. They've lost three straight games, all to potential playoff teams (Seattle, Green Bay and Buffalo).
It's more than the season being over, though. It feels as if it's all over. It feels as if the league has figured out Kyle Shanahan's offense, which is only producing 0.04 EPA per play, the worst figure for the 49ers since 2018. It feels as if the defense, which was once a towering unit, has lost too much talent and run out of good ideas. It is giving up 0.03 EPA per play, which is -- you guessed it -- the worst number for a 49ers defense since 2018.