2004 San Francisco 49ers season

2004 San Francisco 49ers season
Head coach	Dennis Erickson
Home field	Monster Park
Results
Record	2–14
Division place	4th NFC West
Playoff finish	did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	1

The 2004 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's 59th season, and 55th season in the National Football League.

The 49ers hoped to improve upon their disappointing 7–9 output from the previous season. However, the 49ers finished the season with the worst record in football, managing only two victories, both coming against division-rival Arizona Cardinals in overtime. The 49ers earned the #1 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, where they selected quarterback Alex Smith, who would play for the team for eight seasons.

Head coach Dennis Erickson was fired after the season.

The season marked changes for the 49ers, who lost three key members of the 2001 team: Quarterback Jeff Garcia was released in the off-season and later signed with the Cleveland Browns, running back Garrison Hearst went to the Denver Broncos, and controversial wide receiver Terrell Owens went to the Philadelphia Eagles, where they lost to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.

Offseason

NFL draft

2004 San Francisco 49ers draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	31	Rashaun Woods	Wide receiver	Oklahoma State
2	46	Justin Smiley	Guard	Alabama
2	58	Shawntae Spencer	Cornerback	Pittsburgh
3	77	Derrick Hamilton	Wide receiver	Clemson
4	104	Isaac Sopoaga	Defensive tackle	Hawaii
4	127	Richard Seigler	Linebacker	Oregon State
6	188	Andy Lee *	Punter	Pittsburgh
6	198	Keith Lewis	Safety	Oregon
7	217	Cody Pickett	Quarterback	Washington
7	226	Christian Ferrara	Defensive tackle	Syracuse
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

^[1]

Schedules

Preseason

Date	Opponent	Result	Score	Record	Att.
August 14	Oakland	L	33–30	0–1	63,854
August 21	at Chicago	L	20–13	0–2	61,760
August 27	at Minnesota	L	23–10	0–3	63,960
September 2	San Diego	L	31–15	0–4	60,034

Regular season

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Score	Record	Att.
1	September 12	Atlanta	L	21–19	0–1	65,584
2	September 19	at New Orleans	L	30–27	0–2	64,900
3	September 26	at Seattle	L	34–0	0–3	66,709
4	October 3	St. Louis	L	24–14	0–4	66,696
5	October 10	Arizona	W	31–28 (OT)	1–4	62,836
6	October 17	at New York Jets	L	22–14	1–5	78,189
7	Bye Week
8	October 31	at Chicago	L	23–13	1–6	62,054
9	November 7	Seattle	L	42–27	1–7	64,423
10	November 14	Carolina	L	37–27	1–8	63,618
11	November 21	at Tampa Bay	L	35–3	1–9	65,234
12	November 28	Miami	L	24–17	1–10	66,156
13	December 5	at St. Louis	L	16–6	1–11	65,793
14	December 12	at Arizona	W	31–28 (OT)	2–11	35,069
15	December 18 (Sat)	Washington	L	26–16	2–12	65,710
16	December 26	Buffalo	L	41–7	2–13	63,248
17	January 2	at New England	L	21–7	2–14	68,756

Game Summaries

Week 1: vs. Atlanta Falcons

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	7	7	0	7	21
49ers	0	3	3	13	19

at San Francisco Stadium at Candlestick Point, San Francisco, California Weather 68 °F (Partly Cloudy) Sunday, September 12, 2004

The 49ers opened the season at home against the Falcons. The game was statistically dominated by the 49ers, but they were required to make a fourth quarter comeback. The 49ers had an opportunity to tie the game, but a two-point conversion pass attempt from Tim Rattay fell harmlessly to the ground. The loss had the 49ers open the season at 0–1.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

ATL- Alge Crumpler 15-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick)

2nd Quarter

ATL- Warrick Dunn 2-yard rush (Jay Feely kick)

SF- Todd Peterson 23-yard field goal

3rd Quarter

SF- Todd Peterson 32-yard field goal

4th Quarter

ATL- Warrick Dunn 9-yard rush (Jay Feely kick)

SF- Cedrick Wilson 8-yard pass from Tim Rattay (Todd Peterson kick)

SF- Eric Johnson 16-yard pass from Tim Rattay (pass failed)

Week 2: at New Orleans Saints

	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	3	14	3	7	27
Saints	10	10	3	7	30

at Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Sunday, September 19, 2004

In a high-scoring battle, in which both teams scored during all four quarters, the Saints bested the 49ers by a three-point differential. The 49ers took an early lead with a 30-yard field goal by Todd Peterson, but after the Saints scored, the 49ers played catch-up the rest of the game. With this close loss, the 49ers dropped to 0–2 on the season.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

SF- Todd Peterson 30-yard field goal

NO- Joe Horn 8-yard pass from Aaron Brooks (John Carney kick)

NO- John Carney 32-yard field goal

2nd Quarter

SF- Kevan Barlow 10-yard rush (Todd Peterson kick)

NO- Jerome Pathon 37-yard pass from Aaron Brooks (John Carney kick)

NO- John Carney 36-yard field goal

SF- Kevan Barlow 1-yard rush (Todd Peterson kick)

3rd Quarter

NO- John Carney 37-yard field goal

SF- Todd Peterson 33-yard field goal

4th Quarter

SF- Jamal Robertson 1-yard rush (Todd Peterson kick)

NO- Donte Stallworth 16-yard pass from Aaron Brooks (John Carney kick)

Week 3: at Seattle Seahawks

	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	0	0	0	0	0
Seahawks	17	7	10	0	34

At Qwest Field, Seattle, Washington

Sunday, September 26, 2004

The 49ers suffered a 34–0 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in week 3. It was the first shutout of a 49ers team since the Atlanta Falcons handed them a 7–0 loss in week 4 of the 1977 NFL Season (they were also shut out in week 1 that season by the Pittsburgh Steelers). This remains the longest such streak in the NFL.^[2] While the Seahawks scored several field goals and touchdowns, the 49ers could only manage nine first downs and turned the ball over four times (two interceptions and two lost fumbles). With the loss, the 49ers fell to 0–3.

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

SEA – Josh Brown 35-yard field goal

SEA – Shaun Alexander 1-yard rush (Josh Brown kick)

SEA – Shaun Alexander 3-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck (Josh Brown kick)

2nd Quarter

SEA – Shaun Alexander 1-yard rush (Josh Brown kick)

3rd Quarter

SEA – Itula Mili 1-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck (Josh Brown kick)

SEA – Josh Brown 28-yard field goal

Week 4: vs. St. Louis Rams

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rams	14	10	0	0	24
49ers	0	0	0	14	14

At Monster Park, San Francisco, California Weather 62 °F (Partly Cloudy) Sunday, October 3, 2004

Again the 49ers struggled, not putting any points on the board until the fourth quarter. Despite Tim Rattay throwing for 299 yards and the team gaining more first downs than the Rams, St. Louis' defense held fast, preventing the 49ers from scoring until the fourth quarter. The loss meant the 49ers started the season at 0–4.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

STL- Joey Goodspeed 2-yard rush (Jeff Wilkins kick)

STL- Shaun McDonald 6-yard pass from Marc Bulger (Jeff Wilkins kick)

2nd Quarter

STL- Jeff Wilkins 20-yard field goal

STL- Steven Jackson 2-yard rush (Jeff Wilkins kick)

4th Quarter

SF- Curtis Conway 9-yard pass from Tim Rattay (pass failed)

SF- Rashaun Woods 18-yard pass from Tim Rattay (Curtis Conway pass from Tim Rattay)

Week 5: vs. Arizona Cardinals

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Cardinals	0	14	0	14	0	28
49ers	0	6	6	16	3	31

At Monster Park, San Francisco, California Weather 74 °F (Sunny) Sunday, October 10, 2004

The 49ers finally won their first game of the season in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals. After a scoreless first quarter, the Cardinals took a 16-point lead 28–12. In the fourth quarter, the 49ers scored 16 unanswered points (two touchdowns with two accompanying two-point conversions) to tie the game as regulation ended. In the overtime period, the 49ers' kicker Todd Peterson sent a 32-yard kick through the uprights, giving the 49ers their first victory of the season. Now in the win column, the 49ers were 1–4.

Scoring Summary

2nd Quarter

AZ- Freddie Jones 16-yard pass from Josh McCown (Neil Rackers kick)

SF- Todd Peterson 37-yard field goal

AZ- Troy Hambrick 2-yard pass from Josh McCown (Neil Rackers kick)

SF- Todd Peterson 42-yard field goal

3rd Quarter

SF- Arnaz Battle 71-yard punt return (pass failed)

4th Quarter

AZ- Emmitt Smith 10-yard rush (Neil Rackers kick)

AZ- Larry Fitzgerald 24-yard pass from Josh McCown (Neil Rackers kick)

SF- Eric Johnson 6-yard pass from Tim Rattay (Tim Rattay run)

SF- Brandon Lloyd 23-yard pass from Tim Rattay (Brandon Lloyd pass from Tim Rattay)

Overtime

SF- Todd Peterson 32-yard field goal

Week 6: at New York Jets

	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	7	7	0	0	14
Jets	0	3	6	13	22

At Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Sunday, October 17, 2004

It seemed the 49ers would have their second straight victory when they secured a 14-point lead before halftime. However, the 49ers' defense fell apart after the half and the Jets scored 22 unanswered points and forced two turnovers to secure the win. With the 49ers' loss, they fell to 1–5 heading into their bye week.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

SF- Brandon Lloyd 33-yard pass from Tim Rattay (Todd Peterson kick)

2nd Quarter

SF- Kevan Barlow 2-yard rush (Todd Peterson kick)

NYJ- Doug Brien 43-yard field goal

3rd Quarter

NYJ- LaMont Jordan 17-yard rush

4th Quarter

NYJ- Curtis Martin 1-yard rush (pass failed)

NYJ- Curtis Martin 9-yard rush (Doug Brien kick)

Week 8: at Chicago Bears

	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	10	3	0	0	13
Bears	7	6	0	10	23

At Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Sunday, October 31, 2004

Coming out of their bye, the 49ers took an early lead, this time 10–7, however, they were shut out in the second half. Despite three turnovers, the Bears came away with the victory. Between the two teams, five field goals were scored, including two from longer than 50 yards. The loss dropped the 49ers to 1–6 on the season.

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

CHI- Bernard Berrian 49-yard pass from Craig Krenzel (Paul Edinger kick)

SF- Dwaine Carpenter 80-yard fumble return (Todd Peterson kick)

SF- Todd Peterson 48-yard field goal

2nd Quarter

CHI- Paul Edinger 52-yard field goal

SF- Todd Peterson 51-yard field goal

CHI- Paul Edinger 45-yard field goal

4th Quarter

CHI- Paul Edinger 27-yard field goal

CHI- Nathan Vasher 71-yard interception return (Paul Edinger kick)

Week 9: vs. Seattle Seahawks

	1	2	3	4	Total
Seahawks	7	14	14	7	42
49ers	14	3	7	3	27

At Monster Park, San Francisco, California Weather 60 °F (Partly Cloudy) Sunday, November 7, 2004

In another high-score affair, the Seahawks clinched a season sweep over the 49ers using their high-powered offense. The game was back-and-forth until the Seahawks a lead at 28–24 that they would not relinquish, beating the 49ers in nearly every statistically category. Their third straight loss dropped the 49ers to 1–7.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

SF- Kevan Barlow 3-yard rush (Todd Peterson kick)

SEA- Darrell Jackson 33-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck (Josh Brown kick)

SF- Curtis Conway 28-yard pass from Tim Rattay (Todd Peterson kick)

2nd Quarter

SEA- Shaun Alexander 1-yard rush (Josh Brown kick)

SEA- Shaun Alexander 4-yard rush (Josh Brown kick)

SF- Todd Peterson 27-yard field goal

3rd Quarter

SF- Brandon Lloyd 39-yard pass from Tim Rattay (Todd Peterson kick)

SEA- Koren Robinson 25-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck (Josh Brown kick)

SEA- Darrell Jackson 39-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck (Josh Brown kick)

4th Quarter

SF- Todd Peterson 30-yard field goal

SEA- Anthony Simmons 23-yard interception return (Josh Brown kick)

Week 10: vs. Carolina Panthers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	0	3	17	17	37
49ers	10	7	3	7	27

At Monster Park, San Francisco, California Weather 63 °F (Mostly Cloudy) Sunday, November 14, 2004

It appeared the 49ers would snap their three-game losing streak when they took at 17–0 lead, however, the Panthers were able to slowly creep back into the game. Several field goals and touchdowns later, the game was tied at 27 and the Panthers scored a final field goal to come away with the win, 30–27. The loss dropped the 49ers to 1–8 and completed their second four-game losing streak of the season.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

SF- Kevan Barlow 1-yard rush (Todd Peterson kick)

SF- Todd Peterson 28-yard field goal

2nd Quarter

SF- Kevan Barlow 3-yard rush (Todd Peterson kick)

CAR- John Kasay 37-yard field goal

3rd Quarter

CAR- John Kasay 25-yard field goal

CAR- Brandon Bennett 1-yard rush (Todd Sauerbrun kick)

CAR- Muhsin Muhammad 40-yard pass from Jake Delhomme (Todd Sauerbrun kick)

SF- Todd Peterson 46-yard field goal

4th Quarter

SF- Brandon Lloyd 30-yard pass from Tim Rattay (Todd Peterson kick)

CAR- Muhsin Muhammad 4-yard pass from Jake Delhomme (Todd Sauerbrun kick)

CAR- Todd Sauerbrun 34-yard field goal

CAR- Muhsin Muhammad 26-yard pass from Jake Delhomme (Todd Sauerbrun kick)

Week 11: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	0	0	3	0	3
Buccaneers	7	14	7	7	35

At Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Sunday, November 21, 2004

The 49ers didn't have a chance in this lopsided game, falling to the Buccaneers 35–3. With an output of only 197 total yards, the 49ers' lone field goal came off the foot of kicker Todd Peterson from 47 yards out. Their fifth consecutive loss brought the 49ers down to 1–9.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

TB- Michael Pittman 14-yard rush (Martin Gramatica kick)

2nd Quarter

TB- Joe Jurevicius 9-yard pass from Brian Griese (Martin Gramatica kick)

TB- Joe Jurevicius 42-yard pass from Brian Griese (Martin Gramatica kick)

3rd Quarter

TB- Michael Pittman 6-yard rush (Martin Gramatica kick)

SF- Todd Peterson 47-yard field goal

4th Quarter

TB- Torrie Cox 55-yard interception return (Martin Gramatica kick)

Week 12: vs. Miami Dolphins

	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	7	0	0	17	24
49ers	0	3	0	14	17

At Monster Park, San Francisco, California Weather 55 °F (Sunny) Sunday, November 28, 2004

Looking to snap their five-game losing streak, the 49ers were, statistically, the better team, but three turnovers doomed their chances. The 49ers led at one point, 10–7, but the Dolphins regained the lead in the fourth quarter and the 49ers came away with another loss, 24–17. This loss was their six straight and tenth of the season.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

MIA- Chris Chambers 25-yard pass from A.J. Feeley (Olindo Mare kick)

2nd Quarter

SF- Todd Peterson 19-yard field goal

4th Quarter

SF- Derek Smith 46-yard fumble return (Todd Peterson kick)

MIA- Randy McMichael 15-yard pass from A.J. Feeley (Olindo Mare kick)

MIA- Olindo Mare 50-yard field goal

MIA- Derrick Pope 1-yard fumble return (Olindo Mare kick)

SF- Maurice Hicks 1-yard rush (Todd Peterson kick)

Week 13: at St. Louis Rams

	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	3	0	3	0	6
Rams	3	10	0	3	16

At Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

Sunday, December 5, 2004

In a low-scoring contest, the 49ers lost to the division rival Rams by a score of 16–6. The 49ers were limited to only nine first downs in the game and could only manage two field goals, one of which was from 51 yards. This game marked the 49ers' seventh consecutive loss as they fell to 1–11 and they were swept by the Rams for the first time since 2001.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

STL- Jeff Wilkins 29-yard field goal

SF- Todd Peterson 51-yard field goal

2nd Quarter

STL- Torry Holt 22-yard pass from Chris Chandler (Jeff Wilkins kick)

STL- Jeff Wilkins 52-yard field goal

3rd Quarter

SF- Todd Peterson 40-yard field goal

4th Quarter

STL- Jeff Wilkins 52-yard field goal

Week 14: at Arizona Cardinals

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
49ers	7	14	7	0	3	31
Cardinals	0	3	7	18	0	28

At Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

Sunday, December 12, 2004

In an overtime game, the 49ers managed to snap their seven-game losing streak by outdueling the Arizona Cardinals, 31–28. The 49ers seemingly had this game already wrapped up when they took a twenty-one point lead, but the Cardinals fought back and scored 18 points in the fourth quarter to force overtime. A 31-yard field goal by Todd Peterson sealed the victory for the 49ers. Breaking their seven-game streak, the 49ers improved to 2–11. Interestingly, the 49ers were now 2–0 against the Cardinals and 0–11 against the rest of the league.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

SF- Brandon Lloyd 5-yard pass from Ken Dorsey (Todd Peterson kick)

2nd Quarter

SF- Cedrick Wilson 19-yard pass from Ken Dorsey (Todd Peterson kick)

SF- Maurice Hicks 1-yard rush (Todd Peterson kick)

AZ- Neil Rackers 44-yard field goal

3rd Quarter

SF- Cedrick Wilson 27-yard pass from Ken Dorsey (Todd Peterson kick)

AZ- Obafemi Ayanbadejo 4-yard rush (Neil Rackers kick)

AZ- Obafemi Ayanbadejo 1-yard rush (Neil Rackers kick)

AZ- Emmitt Smith 8-yard rush (Josh McCown run)

AZ- Neil Rackers 22-yard field goal

Overtime

SF- Todd Peterson 31-yard field goal

Week 15: vs. Washington Redskins

	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	7	16	3	0	26
49ers	7	2	0	7	16

At Monster Park, San Francisco, California Weather 55 °F (Sunny) Saturday, December 18, 2004

The 49ers failed in their attempt to string together two victories, losing this contest 26–16 to the Redskins. The 49ers never led, but they did score a rare safety in the second quarter. Statistically, it was a close game, both teams posting similar yardage and first downs, however, four interceptions by 49ers quarterback Ken Dorsey sealed the loss and dropped the team to 2–12.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

WAS- Robert Royal 12-yard pass from Patrick Ramsey (Jeff Chandler kick)

SF- Brandon Lloyd 17-yard pass from Ken Dorsey (Todd Peterson kick)

2nd Quarter

WAS- Jeff Chandler 49-yard field goal

WAS- Jeff Chandler 25-yard field goal

WAS- Jeff Chandler 20-yard field goal

SF- Safety

WAS- Antonio Pierce 78-yard interception return (Jeff Chandler kick)

3rd Quarter

WAS- Jeff Chandler 26-yard field goal

4th Quarter

SF- Curtis Conway 11-yard pass from Ken Dorsey (Todd Peterson kick)

Week 16: vs. Buffalo Bills

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	0	17	10	14	41
49ers	0	0	0	7	7

At Monster Park, San Francisco, California Weather 53 °F (Rain) Sunday, December 26, 2004

In a blowout, the Bills dominated the 49ers 41–7. While the Bills managed to score in the double-digits in three of the four quarters, the 49ers only managed a single touchdown in the final minutes of the game. This was the second consecutive game in which the 49ers had four turnovers (this time three interceptions and one fumble) and the Bills were able to roll up over twice as many total yards as the 49ers. With the loss, the 49ers fell to 2–13 going into the final game of the season.

Scoring Summary

2nd Quarter

BUF- Willis McGahee 3-yard rush (Rian Lindell kick)

BUF- Rian Lindell 23-yard field goal

BUF- Lee Evans 8-yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Rian Lindell kick)

3rd Quarter

BUF- Rian Lindell 31-yard field goal

BUF- Willis McGahee 1-yard rush (Rian Lindell kick)

4th Quarter

BUF- Lee Evans 33-yard pass from Shane Matthews (Rian Lindell kick)

BUF- Shaud Williams 27-yard rush (Rian Lindell kick)

SF- Kevan Barlow 1-yard rush (Todd Peterson kick)

Week 17: at New England Patriots

	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	7	0	0	0	7
Patriots	0	7	7	7	21

At Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Sunday, January 2, 2005

Hoping to end their miserable season with a win, the 49ers flew to Gillette Stadium to play a Patriots team that was looking for the second seed in the AFC playoffs. In a game in which one touchdown was scored each quarter, the 49ers lost to the New England Patriots 21–7. The 49ers struck first, but the Patriots defense held them to that single touchdown. Both teams were riddled with mistakes, both turnovers and penalties; however, the Patriots were able to capitalize on the 49ers' errors.

The 49ers closed their season at 2–14 on a three-game losing streak, giving the team the first overall pick in the draft.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

SF- Steve Bush 4-yard pass from Ken Dorsey (Todd Peterson kick)

2nd Quarter

NE- Mike Vrabel 1-yard pass from Tom Brady (Adam Vinatieri kick)

3rd Quarter

NE- Deion Branch 8-yard pass from Tom Brady (Adam Vinatieri kick)

4th Quarter

NE- Corey Dillon 6-yard rush (Adam Vinatieri kick)

Standings

NFC West
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
(4) Seattle Seahawks	9	7	0	.563	3–3	8–4	371	373	W2
(5) St. Louis Rams	8	8	0	.500	5–1	7–5	319	392	W2
Arizona Cardinals	6	10	0	.375	2–4	5–7	284	322	W1
San Francisco 49ers	2	14	0	.125	2–4	2–10	259	322	L3

References