2004 San Francisco 49ers season
Owner	Denise DeBartolo York and John York
General manager	Terry Donahue
Head coach	Dennis Erickson
Offensive coordinator	Ted Tollner
Defensive coordinator	Willy Robinson
Home field	Monster Park
Results
Record	2–14
Division place	4th NFC West
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	LS Brian Jennings
←  2003 49ers seasons 2005 →

The 2004 season was the San Francisco 49ers' 55th in the National Football League (NFL), the 59th overall and their second and final under head coach Dennis Erickson, as he was fired after the season.

The 49ers attempted to improve on their 7–9 output from the previous season, but the 49ers finished the season at 2–14, both wins coming against division-rival Arizona Cardinals in overtime by the same score. 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.

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]

Roster

2004 San Francisco 49ers final roster

	Quarterbacks 11 Tim Rattay  7 Ken Dorsey  3 Cody Pickett Running backs 32 Kevan Barlow 40 Fred Beasley FB 43 Maurice Hicks 22 Terry Jackson Wide receivers 83 Arnaz Battle 89 Curtis Conway 10 P. J. Fleck 88 Derrick Hamilton 85 Brandon Lloyd 84 Cedrick Wilson 81 Rashaun Woods Tight ends 44 Steve Bush 82 Eric Johnson 49 Aaron Walker		Offensive linemen 75 Jerome Davis T 78 Scott Gragg T 52 Brock Gutierrez C 77 Kwame Harris T 66 Eric Heitmann G 69 Kyle Kosier G 68 Rob Murphy C 67 Scott Peters C 65 Justin Smiley G Defensive linemen 91 Anthony Adams DT 93 Tony Brown DT 93 Chris Cooper DT 93 Josh Cooper DE 95 John Engelberger DE 71 Corey Smith DE 64 Daleroy Stewart DT 99 Andrew Williams DE 97 Bryant Young DT		Linebackers 51 Saleem Rasheed OLB 54 Richard Seigler OLB 50 Derek Smith OLB 53 Jeff Ulbrich MLB 59 Ray Wells OLB 55 Jamie Winborn OLB Defensive backs 20 Mike Adams FS 35 Dwaine Carpenter CB 27 Joselio Hanson CB 38 Ronnie Heard FS 28 Keith Lewis SS 33 Tony Parrish SS 31 Rayshun Reed CB 36 Shawntae Spencer CB 23 Jimmy Williams CB Special teams 86 Brian Jennings LS  4 Andy Lee P  2 Todd Peterson K		Reserve lists 96 Andre Carter DE (IR) 41 Jasen Isom FB (IR) 18 James Jordan WR (IR) 56 Brandon Moore LB (IR) 62 Jeremy Newberry C (IR) 98 Julian Peterson LB (IR) 29 Ahmed Plummer CB (IR) 13 Tim Rattay QB (IR) 24 Mike Rumph CB (IR) 90 Isaac Sopoaga DT (IR) 94 Brandon Whiting DE (IR) Practice squad 15 Bosley Allen WR -- Thomas Herrion G 63 Norm Katnik C -- Tim Provost T -- Ken Simonton RB 57 Max Yates LB 48 Richard Yancy S Int'l -- Doug Zeigler TE Rookies in italics 53 active, 11 inactive, 8 practice squad

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	NFL.com recap
1	August 14	Oakland Raiders	L 30–33	0–1	Monster Park	Recap
2	August 21	at Chicago Bears	L 13–20	0–2	Soldier Field	Recap
3	August 27	at Minnesota Vikings	L 10–23	0–3	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	Recap
4	September 2	San Diego Chargers	L 15–31	0–4	Monster Park	Recap

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	NFL.com recap
1	September 12	Atlanta Falcons	L 19–21	0–1	Monster Park	Recap
2	September 19	at New Orleans Saints	L 27–30	0–2	Louisiana Superdome	Recap
3	September 26	at Seattle Seahawks	L 0–34	0–3	Qwest Field	Recap
4	October 3	St. Louis Rams	L 14–24	0–4	Monster Park	Recap
5	October 10	Arizona Cardinals	W 31–28 (OT)	1–4	Monster Park	Recap
6	October 17	at New York Jets	L 14–22	1–5	Giants Stadium	Recap
7	Bye
8	October 31	at Chicago Bears	L 13–23	1–6	Soldier Field	Recap
9	November 7	Seattle Seahawks	L 27–42	1–7	Monster Park	Recap
10	November 14	Carolina Panthers	L 27–37	1–8	Monster Park	Recap
11	November 21	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 3–35	1–9	Raymond James Stadium	Recap
12	November 28	Miami Dolphins	L 17–24	1–10	Monster Park	Recap
13	December 5	at St. Louis Rams	L 6–16	1–11	Edward Jones Dome	Recap
14	December 12	at Arizona Cardinals	W 31–28 (OT)	2–11	Sun Devil Stadium	Recap
15	December 18	Washington Redskins	L 16–26	2–12	Monster Park	Recap
16	December 26	Buffalo Bills	L 7–41	2–13	Monster Park	Recap
17	January 2, 2005	at New England Patriots	L 7–21	2–14	Gillette Stadium	Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Atlanta Falcons

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.

Week 2: at New Orleans Saints

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.

Week 3: at Seattle Seahawks

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 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.

Week 4: vs. St. Louis Rams

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.

Week 5: vs. Arizona Cardinals

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.

Week 6: at New York Jets

It seemed the 49ers would obtain 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.

Week 8: at Chicago Bears

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.

Week 9: vs. Seattle Seahawks

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

Week 10: vs. Carolina Panthers

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.

Week 11: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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.

Week 12: vs. Miami Dolphins

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 sixth in succession and tenth of the season.

Week 13: at St. Louis Rams

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.

Week 14: at Arizona Cardinals

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 losing streak, the 49ers improved to 2–11. At this point of the season, the 49ers were 2–0 against the Cardinals and 0–11 against the rest of the league.

Week 15: vs. Washington Redskins

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.

Week 16: vs. Buffalo Bills

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.

Week 17: at New England Patriots

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 2005 draft.

Standings

NFC West
view talk	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	452	L3

NFC [3] view talk
#	Team	Division	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	SOS	SOV	STK
Division leaders
1	Philadelphia Eagles	East	13	3	0	.813	6–0	11–1	.453	.409	L2
2	Atlanta Falcons	South	11	5	0	.688	4–2	8–4	.420	.432	L2
3	Green Bay Packers	North	10	6	0	.625	5–1	9–3	.457	.419	W2
4	Seattle Seahawks	West	9	7	0	.563	3–3	8–4	.445	.368	W2
Wild cards
5 [a]	St. Louis Rams	West	8	8	0	.500	5–1	7–5	.488	.438	W2
6 [a] [b]	Minnesota Vikings	North	8	8	0	.500	3–3	5–7	.480	.406	L2
Did not qualify for the postseason
7 [a] [b]	New Orleans Saints	South	8	8	0	.500	3–3	6–6	.465	.427	W4
8	Carolina Panthers	South	7	9	0	.438	3–3	6–6	.496	.366	L1
9 [c]	Detroit Lions	North	6	10	0	.375	2–4	5–7	.496	.417	L2
10 [c]	Arizona Cardinals	West	6	10	0	.375	2–4	5–7	.461	.417	W1
11 [c] [d]	New York Giants	East	6	10	0	.375	3–3	5–7	.516	.417	W1
12 [c] [d] [e]	Dallas Cowboys	East	6	10	0	.375	2–4	5–7	.516	.375	L1
13 [c] [d] [e]	Washington Redskins	East	6	10	0	.375	1–5	6–6	.477	.333	W1
14 [f]	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	South	5	11	0	.313	2–4	4–8	.477	.413	L4
15 [f]	Chicago Bears	North	5	11	0	.313	2–4	4–8	.465	.388	L4
16	San Francisco 49ers	West	2	14	0	.125	2–4	2–10	.488	.375	L3
Tiebreakers [g]
^ a b c St. Louis clinched the NFC #5 seed instead of Minnesota or New Orleans based on better conference record (7–5 to Minnesota’s 5–7 to New Orleans’ 6–6). ^ a b Minnesota clinched the NFC #6 seed instead of New Orleans based on head-to-head victory. ^ a b c d e Detroit finished ahead of Arizona and New York Giants based upon head-to-head record (2–0 versus Arizona’s 1–1 and New York Giants’ 0–2). Division tiebreak was initially used to eliminate Dallas and Washington. ^ a b c New York Giants finished ahead of Dallas and Washington in the NFC East based on better head-to-head record (3–1 to Dallas‘ 2–2 to Washington’s 1–3). ^ a b Dallas finished ahead of Washington in the NFC East based on head-to-head sweep. ^ a b Tampa Bay finished ahead of Chicago based upon head-to-head victory. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

Notes

References