This is the way the Harbaugh era ends, not with a bang but a record-setting whimper.
Behind a rejuvenated, pin-balling Frank Gore, the San Francisco 49ers rushed for 355 yards, setting a franchise record. Yet the Niners still succumbed to Philip Rivers and the Chargers, 38-35 in overtime.
The 355 rushing yards is the most by any team in a loss since at least 1950 -- consider it the cherry on top of the 49ers' crap sundae season.
Jim Harbaugh's team squandered a 21-point third-quarter lead and wasted their best offensive performance of the season. Their 447 total yards snapped an eight-game streak of fewer than 350 total yards and a three-game streak under the 250 mark. The Niners had scored fewer than 20 points in seven of the past eight games.
The 21-point letdown is tied for the third largest in team history and marked the first four-game losing streak of the Harbaugh era.
"Right now, there's not much to say other than keep fighting and get our last regular-season win," 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said, per CSN Bay Area. "That's the goal. But that's a tough one. Everybody feels it."
If the end is near for Gore in San Francisco, he authored one more virtuoso performance before the chapter closed. The veteran plowed for 158 yards on 28 carries as the Niners fed the beast. Colin Kaepernickadded 151 yards on the ground including a 90-yard score, compared to just 114 passing yards.
Still it wasn't enough to give Niners fans one last glimpse of hope before the sun sets on this forgettable season.
"Yeah, it sucks," left tackle Joe Staley said. "Yeah, I mean ... yeah, frustrating season, frustrating game."
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