San Francisco 49ers scratched from prime time Sunday night football

JARRYD Hayne’s 49ers have had to deal with a lot this season and now they’re suffering the indignity of another embarrassment.

49ers nightmare season hits new low

IT’S right about now that Jarryd Hayne begins to second guess his decision not to chase a contract with Seattle.

The wheels are falling off his San Francisco 49ers.

Despite their dramatic overtime win against Chicago on Monday, the NFL pulled the pin on San Francisco appearing in the lucrative Sunday night prime time television broadcast slot it was supposed to appear in for a round 15 clash at home to Cincinnati on December 21 (AEDT).

The loss of the prime time slot is just the latest in a series of disappointing developments for the 49ers this season.

San Francisco improved to 4-8 with the win over the Bears on Monday, but their season was already over last month when they fell to a 2-6 record.

Star quarterback Colin Kaepernick was benched for Blaine Gabbert in the team’s round nine win over Atlanta while coach Jim Tomsula has admitted he has not talked to the 49ers front office about his position for next season following speculation his job is not a sure thing in 2016.

They’ve also had to endure a string of injuries to high-profile players, including Carlos Hyde and Reggie Bush.

FILE - In this Nov. 8, 2015, file photo, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) stands on the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons in Santa Clara, Calif. The The 49ers announced Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015, that they placed Kaepernick on the injured reserve list. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

The NFL compounded the misery when it dumped the Niners from NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

The 49ers-Bengals game at Levi’s Stadium was moved to the earlier slot of 1.25pm local time (8.25am AEDT) where it will share the airtime with five other NFL matches, including the Broncos-Steelers clash in Pittsburgh and the Packers-Raiders in Oakland.

The NFL and CBS decided the Cardinals-Eagles clash in Philadelphia is the more appealing match for TV viewers.

The league’s flexible scheduling protocol from rounds 11-17 allows it to change the schedule for Sunday matches in order to ensure the most appealing match features on prime time.

#49ers-#Bengals on Dec. 20 is flexed out of prime time, moved to 1:25 pm PT. Cardinals-Eagles moved to @SNFonNBC

— Cam Inman (@CamInman) December 7, 2015

The NFL has flexed the Cardinals-Eagles Week 15 game into the Sunday night game, replacing the 49ers-Bengals game.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) December 7, 2015

Dec. 20: Bengals at 49ers will be on CBS at 1:25PM, while Packers at Raiders will be on FOX at 1:05PM.

— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoCSN) December 7, 2015

Associated Press sports writer Josh Dubow reported it is the first time the two Bay Area teams — San Francisco and Oakland — have been flexed out of prime time into a clashing time slot.

Despite the latest indignity, 49ers players are still enjoying the reaction to their 26-20 win over Chicago.

Gabbert revealed some wise words from Tomsula helped him produce the match-winning 71-yard touchdown pass to receiver Torrey Smith.

Tomsula simply told the second-string QB to enjoy his moment in the spotlight.

GLENDALE, AZ - SEPTEMBER 27: Jarryd Hayne #38 of the San Francisco 49ers relaxes in the locker room prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on September 27, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the 49ers 47-7. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)

“You really saw kind of the peaks and valleys of NFL football right there,” Gabbert said of his team’s comeback win.

“It was set up by all the throws we had underneath early on in the game, all the runs we ran out of that formation.

“It worked perfectly. Torrey did a great job tracking the ball in the air and using his speed to outrun everybody.”

Things can get a lot better for the Niners on Monday morning when they get a chance to win back-to-back games for the first time this season when they travel to Cleveland to take on the hapless Browns (2-10).

They then finish the season with games against the Bengals (10-2), Detroit Lions (4-8) and St Louis Rams (4-8).

Originally published as San Francisco 49ers scratched from prime time Sunday night football