2005 San Francisco 49ers season The 2005 season was the 60th for the Niners overall , and 56th in the NFL . They were trying to improve on their 2 - 14 record from 2004 . Head Coach Dennis Erickson had been fired just after the end of the 2004 season , and Mike Nolan , son of former head coach Dick Nolan , was at the reins . Regular season . Week 1 : vs . St . Louis Rams . at " Monster Park , San Francisco , California " Sunday , September 11 , 2005 In Mike Nolan ' s debut as head coach , the 49ers beat divisional rival St . Louis Rams . The 49ers were able to build a considerable lead in the 3rd quarter , however , their defense fell apart and allowed the Rams to score 16 straight points , including 13 in the 4th quarter . The Rams were poised to score again , but Michael Adams intercepted Marc Bulger with 52 seconds left to seal the victory and start the season with a win . Scoring Summary 1st Quarter STL - Jeff Wilkins 30 yard field goal 2nd Quarter STL - Jeff Wilkins 41 yard field goal SF - Brandon Lloyd 35 yard pass from Tim Rattay ( Joe Nedney kick ) SF - Otis Amey 75 yard punt return ( Joe Nedney kick ) SF - Arnaz Battle 6 yard pass from Tim Rattay ( Joe Nedney kick ) STL - Jeff Wilkins 33 yard field goal 3rd Quarter SF - Kevan Barlow 9 yard rush ( Joe Nedney kick ) STL - Jeff Wilkins 41 yard field goal 4th Quarter STL - Isaac Bruce 29 yard pass from Marc Bulger ( kick failed ) STL - Brandon Manumaleuna 6 yard pass from Marc Bulger ( Jeff Wilkins kick ) Week 2 : at Philadelphia Eagles . at " Lincoln Financial Field , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania " Sunday , September 18 , 2005 The 49ers were handily beaten by the Philadelphia Eagles as Donovan McNabb threw five touchdown passes , four of which were in the first 19 minutes of the game . In Terrell Owens ' first game against his former team he had 143 yards receiving and two touchdowns . Rookie quarterback Alex Smith made his regular season debut , playing the final possession and throwing one incomplete pass . This loss dropped the 49ers to 1 - 1 . Scoring Summary 1st Quarter PHI - Terrell Owens 68 yard pass from Donovan McNabb ( David Akers kick ) PHI - L . J . Smith 6 yard pass from Donovan McNabb ( David Akers kick ) 2nd Quarter PHI - Terrell Owens 42 yard pass from Donovan McNabb ( David Akers kick ) PHI - Brian Westbrook 2 yard pass from Donovan McNabb ( Mark Simoneau kick ) 3rd Quarter SF - Joe Nedney 32 yard field goal PHI - Greg Lewis 6 yard pass from Donovan McNabb ( David Akers kick ) 4th Quarter PHI - Lamar Gordon 6 yard rush ( David Akers kick ) Week 3 : vs . Dallas Cowboys . The rivalry between the 49ers and the Cowboys continued in traditional high - scoring fashion . The 49ers maintained the lead for the majority of the game , however , their defense fell apart in the final quarter as they allowed the Cowboys to score fifteen consecutive points while the offense failed to put a single point on the board . The loss dropped the 49ers to 1 - 2 to start the season . Scoring Summary 1st Quarter SF - Arnaz Battle 15 yard pass from Tim Rattay ( Joe Nedney kick ) ( SF 7 - 0 ) Week 4 : at Arizona Cardinals . A game played in Mexico City at Azteca Stadium garnished the largest crowd in regular season history , with 103 , 467 fans in attendance . The 49ers started off well , scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter , but failed to score again . The Cardinals then began to dominate , scoring 31 consecutive points , including six field goals by Neil Rackers . San Francisco ' s backup quarterback Alex Smith was given the green light in the fourth quarter and threw six completions , including the first completed pass of his career . Week 5 : vs . Indianapolis Colts . In Alex Smith ' s first NFL start , he threw four interceptions and was sacked five times . Aside from Kevan Barlow , the 49ers offense failed to get comfortable and only managed a single field goal . This was the second straight week in which the 49ers ' offense failed to score a touchdown . The loss to the undefeated Colts dropped the 49ers to 1 - 4 , heading into their bye week . Week 7 : at Washington Redskins . The 49ers lost for the fifth straight time after opening the season with a win when they lost lopsidely 52 - 17 to the Redskins . San Francisco could do nothing right , with Alex Smith getting sacked five times , losing a fumble , and throwing an interception . On the other side of the ball , the Redskins quarterback Mark Brunell tossed three touchdowns and Clinton Portis rushed for three more , rolling up 448 total yards . The 49ers , who had not scored in the fourth quarter yet this season , grabbed ten points in the period . Week 8 : vs . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . In a game in which both starting quarterbacks were out due to injuries , field goals were the norm : the 49ers ' Joe Nedney scoring five of the game ' s six . In a statistically unimpressive game , San Francisco toppled the Buccaneers , who , prior to the game , had the best record in the NFC . With the victory , the 49ers snapped a five game losing streak to grab their second win of the season . Buccaneers receiver Joey Galloway caught his 500th reception of his career . The win brought the 49ers up to 2 - 5 on the season . Week 9 : vs . New York Giants . For the second straight game , the 49ers failed to score a touchdown , this time managing only two field goals in the loss . Even while the Giants ' offense struggled at times , their defense shut the 49ers down , preventing the 49ers from capitalizing on Giants ' mistakes , such as allowing the 49ers four first downs on penalties . In a rare error , the 49ers only had 10 players on the field for the first play of the game , a 28 yard catch by Jeremy Shockey . Week 10 : at Chicago Bears . After a scoreless first quarter , the 49ers took a three point lead in the second quarter off a field goal by Joe Nedney . However , the game turned in the Bears ' favor when Nathan Vasher ran back an attempted field goal 108 yards for a touchdown . The 49ers came within 5 point during the fourth quarter , but the high winds made it difficult to pass the ball . This , combined with a fumbled punt , doomed the 49ers to their seventh loss of the season , dropping them to 2 - 7 . Week 11 : vs . Seattle Seahawks . In a shootout , the 49ers nearly came back from a fifteen point deficit by scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter . However , the 49ers failed to score on a two - point conversion with under 30 seconds in the game that would have tied it and likely sent it into overtime . In the course of the game , the 49ers scored their first touchdown at home in sixteen quarters and also snapped a streak of 47 possessions without a touchdown . The eighth loss in nine games dropped the 49ers to 2 - 8 . Week 12 : at Tennessee Titans . The Titans snapped a five - game losing streak and the 49ers extended theirs to four as Titans kicker Rob Bironas kicked a career - high four field goals . The Titans managed to score two touchdowns in a span of only 80 seconds . The game wasn ' t as close as the final score would suggest , as the Titans forced four turnovers and Steve McNair threw for 343 yards and three touchdowns . The 49ers lost their 9th game , dooming them to a losing season . Week 13 : vs . Arizona Cardinals . In their fifth loss in as many games ( the 49ers ' second five - game losing streak ) , the 49ers fell to the division rival Cardinals . Although two interceptions from quarterback Kurt Warner kept the 49ers in the game , eventually the poor performance by the defense succumbed . The Cardinals took the lead for good with a 54 - yard touchdown reception by Anquan Boldin in a third - and - twenty situation . Being swept by the Cardinals this season , the 49ers fell to 2 - 10 with the loss . Week 14 : at Seattle Seahawks . The 49ers were dominated in their six straight loss as they fell to 2 - 11 . Not only did Shaun Alexander rush for 108 yards , his ninth consecutive divisional game to rush for more than 100 yards , quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw for four touchdowns . The 49ers ' offense couldn ' t get going , managing only 113 total yards and fumbling three times . With the victory , the Seahawks completed the division perfectly , 6 - 0 , and gained a two - game lead for home - field advantage throughout the playoffs . Week 15 : at Jacksonville Jaguars . In a back - and - forth game , the Jaguars emerged victorious and clinched a playoff berth at 10 - 4 . The 49ers offense failed to score a touchdown , as they only managed three field goals by Joe Nedney . The 49ers had opportunities to take the lead , but were unable to get any first downs in the fourth quarter and a fourth down , game - ending , desperation heave from Alex Smith fell harmlessly to the ground . The 49ers fell to 2 - 12 with their seventh straight loss . Week 16 : at St . Louis Rams . The 49ers broke their seven - game losing streak with a big performance from their running backs , Maurice Hicks and Frank Gore , who combined for 177 yards and 3 touchdowns . The Rams lead for most of the game , but the 49ers scored 17 unanswered points and the defense held the Rams scoreless in the second half . The game was only decided in the final minute when Ben Emanuel intercepted a pass at the San Francisco 19 - yard line . With the victory , the 49ers moved up to 3 - 12 . Week 17 : vs . Houston Texans . The final game of the season for the 49ers , in which the number one draft pick was on the line , was a thriller . The two teams scored back - and - forth with the lead never greater than 7 points . The game went into overtime tied at 17 , and Joe Nedney kicked a 33 - yard field goal for the win . This marked the only time the 49ers won two consecutive games this season . Moreover , the loss gave the Texans the first overall draft pick and moved the 49ers from second overall to sixth . The 49ers finished the season 4 - 12 .