No play has been more symbolic of the 2024 season for the San Francisco 49ers than Mitch Wishnowsky’s onside kick at the end of Sunday’s 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Wishnowsky got off to a slow start–like the 49ers 1-2 start to the season–by bypassing a tee to lay the ball flat on the ground. After “kicking” the ball, the ball kept spinning, doing a lot of work–like the 49ers have 10-point leads against the Rams and Cardinals. But despite all the spinning the ball did, it stopped after four yards, plenty short of the goal of ten yards.