Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Rapid Reaction: San Francisco 49ers

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – A few thoughts on the San Francisco 49ers’ 38-35 overtime loss to the San Diego Chargers at Levi’s Stadium Saturday night:

What it means: Looking for a microcosm of the 49ers’ season? Look no further than the Niners' blowing leads of 21-0 and 28-7 at halftime to fall in overtime. With 15 weeks of drama, pressure and sky-high expectations gone along with their playoff chances, the 49ers started off loose and dominated the Chargers early, but Philip Rivers forced overtime with an 11-yard TD pass to Malcom Floyd with 29 seconds remaining in regulation after converting a pair of fourth-and-longs in the 80-yard drive.

The Niners, who have lost four straight, had possession first in overtime, and Quinton Patton had a 20-yard run to get them to the Chargers’ 38-yard line where he was hit by Eric Weddle and fumbled. Sean Lissemore recovered.

The Chargers drove, and Nick Novak’s 40-yard field goal ended the game 4:54 into OT.

Early, the Niners utilized a power-running attack -- more on Frank Gore below -- to jump out to that 21-0 lead en route to scoring their most points since dropping 31 on the St. Louis Rams on Oct. 13.

Yes, the 35 points scored were a season high, as were the 355 rushing yards.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick broke off a 90-yard touchdown run, the second longest by an NFL quarterback since 2001, behind Terrelle Pryor’s 93-yard run last season for the Oakland Raiders. It was Kaepernick’s first rushing touchdown of the season. With 3:30 to play, Kaepernick had more rushing yards (131) than passing yards (99).

Strong safety Antoine Bethea had a pick-six for his first career touchdown, and the 49ers intercepted Philip Rivers three times.

Free safety Eric Reid, meanwhile, suffered a first-half concussion, the third concussion of his 31-game career, and his replacement, Bubba Ventrone, left with a groin injury.

It is the first time the 49ers have lost a game they led by at least 21 points at halftime since 1965, per the Associated Press.

Stock watch: Rising – Rookie receiver/returner Bruce Ellington. Playing in his third game after missing three with an ankle injury, Ellington became the first Niners rookie since Amp Lee in 1992 to have both a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game. Ellington’s 8-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter gave the Niners a 14-0 lead before his 1-yard scamper on a fly sweep put the Niners up 28-7 with six seconds to go before the half. It is Ellington’s first multi-TD game. Ellington, however, injured a hamstring in the third quarter and did not return.

A crazy turn of events: Vernon Davis appeared to have a 63-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter, only to have it called back by a chop-block penalty on Gore. One play later, Kaepernick was strip-sacked, and the Chargers recovered in the end zone for the TD to get back to 28-21. Two plays after the San Diego score, Kaepernick ran into the history books to put the Niners up by 14.

And the game ball goes to …: Gore, and there should be no debate. The Niners’ workhorse running back suffered what was described as a concussion six days earlier, sat out practice completely Wednesday and was only able to go in a limited fashion Thursday and Friday. Yet there he was, shredding the Chargers’ defense to the tune of a season-high 129 yards on 14 carries ... in the first half. He had a 52-yard touchdown run less than two minutes into the game and is the lone player in the league this season with TD runs and receptions of 50-plus yards, as he had a 55-yard catch and run Sept. 28 against Philadelphia. Gore finished with 158 yards on 26 carries and is 38 from a 1,000-yard rushing season.

What's next: The 49ers (7-8) close the season -- and the Jim Harbaugh era? -- with a home game against the playoff-bound Arizona Cardinals (11-3), who upended the Niners 23-14 in Week 3. Arizona can win the NFC West and the conference’s No. 1 seed by beating the Seattle Seahawks (10-4) on Sunday.

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