The San Francisco 49ers got another crucial win on Sunday, beating the Cleveland Browns 26-8 to improve to 9-4 and remain right in the mix of the packed NFC West.
A couple of weeks ago, the 49ers were standing at 6-4 and 1.5 games back of both the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks after a 42-26 loss to the former. Upcoming was a big three-game stretch against the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, and Cleveland Browns.
With how competitive both the division and conference have been this year, the 49ers needed to go 3-0 in that stretch. And they did exactly that, getting to 9-4. A loss from the Rams on Sunday got San Francisco within a half-game of the NFC West lead.
Now, the 49ers get a chance to reset during their long-awaited bye week, get players healthy, and return to face the 1-11 Tennessee Titans at home. Should they win that, the 49ers would be at 10-4 heading into the final three games of the season, hitting the 10-win marker usually needed to make the playoffs.
At 9-4, San Francisco is not only a half-game back of the NFC West, but they’re also a half-game back of the Chicago Bears, who own the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The two teams face off in San Francisco in Week 17.
Still, it feels like there’s a damper on the team at the moment, given the injuries they’ve had and how good the conference has been. That leads us to the question: do the 49ers have what it takes to make a playoff run this season?
Looking at the rest of the schedule, the 49ers should beat the Titans. Then, it’s three tough matchups with the Colts, Bears, and Seahawks. Indianapolis has looked mortal with its recent slide. Chicago has thrived in one-score games this year. And the Seahawks are as dangerous as they’ve been on both sides of the ball.
So, 11 wins feels like a safe bet, with the 49ers stealing one of those last three (Bears and Seahawks are at home). I’m not sure that gets them the division, which comes with a home game. But, I do believe the 49ers can have an upset or two in the playoffs.
When you look at the NFC, it’s a highly competitive conference, but you can see some flaws with the top teams, which is why there isn’t really a clear-cut favorite right now. The last three weeks will play a big part in the perception of this team, as they’ll play three playoff-caliber teams.
But, the 49ers are growing offensively with players now back from injury. They should be healthier, which will help on the defensive side of the ball. They’ve got great coaching with Kyle Shanahan and Robert Saleh. And we’ve seen them go on these second-half runs in the past.
I do think a lot of the ceiling on this team comes down to Brock Purdy. This past weekend, he did what he was asked to do, getting the 49ers out of some bad situations and keeping the ball out of harm’s way against an opportunistic defense.
Purdy was at his best in 2023 when he had his aggressive mindset, but also knew to take what the defense was giving him. In 2024, without Christian McCaffrey, Purdy pressed too much, and his play regressed. So far this season, we’ve seen similar behavior, even with McCaffrey in the mix, as Purdy has thrown multiple interceptions in three of his five starts this year.
If he can be better with the football, both from a decision standpoint and a timing standpoint to account for his arm, the 49ers offense can reach its ceiling and carry this team.
But, we’ve also seen this defense make plays in timely moments in big wins this year, such as the Rams game, the Panthers game, and even this past weekend, to name a few. Stopping the run will be a huge part of the 49ers’ playoff success, and the team needs to get better there, but San Francisco has an elite coordinator and a penchant for big stops.
I don’t think the 49ers can win a Super Bowl or even make one. But, we’ve seen such varying results in the NFL this year that I won’t rule them out of winning a playoff game or two and potentially make the NFC Championship Game this season.
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