SANTA CLARA — This 49ers season is so beguiling that they’ll enhance their playoff stature with out even taking part in in Week 14.
At present the NFC’s seventh and remaining seed, the 49ers (9-4) can sit again and rehab on their bye whereas climbing to at the very least the No. 6 spot and probably No. 2.
They’ll leapfrog the loser of Sunday’s recreation between the Chicago Bears (9-3) and the host Inexperienced Bay Packers (8-3-1) for the No. 6 spot, but nonetheless be in wild-card territory.
The No. 2 slot, behind the victor of that Bears-Packers recreation, may turn out to be the 49ers’ if each the Rams (9-3) and Seahawks (9-3) lose their respective street video games, on the Arizona Cardinals (3-9) and on the Atlanta Falcons (4-8).
“If people had said you would be 9-4 going into the bye, and you’re not going to have Fred Warner and Nick Bosa and Kittle is going to miss the first five weeks, and Brock is going to miss (eight) games, a lot of people would have laughed at everybody,” tight finish George Kittle stated after Sunday’s 26-8 win in Cleveland. “Kudos to our coaching staff, coach (Kyle) Shanahan, (general manager John) Lynch for bringing in the right guys to fill in those spots. … We’re set up really well.”
Listed here are 4 methods to look at the final-four push:
FOUR REMAINING GAMES
vs. Tennessee Titans (1-11)
Sunday, Dec. 14, 1:25 p.m.
No. 1 choose Cam Ward follows Brock Purdy into Cleveland this Sunday to strive ending a seven-game win streak in opposition to Myles Garrett and the Browns. Ward has been sacked a NFL-high 48 occasions and thrown solely seven landing passes for a barren franchise that fired coach Brian Callahan at 1-5.
at Indianapolis Colts (8-4)
Monday, Dec. 22, 5:15 p.m.
They’ve misplaced three of 4 since a 7-1 begin, quarterback Daniel Jones is taking part in on a fractured fibula and Jonathan Taylor is scoreless in these previous three losses. Taylor, nonetheless, did run for 244 yards and three touchdowns in a Nov. 9 win over Atlanta, feeding his NFL-best totals of 1,282 yards and 15 touchdowns on the bottom.
vs. Chicago Bears
Sunday, Dec. 28, 5:20 p.m.
This might finally resolve the NFL’s prime seed, although the Bears first have two video games in opposition to the Packers sandwiched round a go to by the Browns. Resurrected by first-year coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams, the Bears have only a plus-6 level differential (313-307), however they’re an NFL-best plus-17 in turnovers (26-9).
vs. Seattle Seahawks
Saturday/Sunday, Jan. 3/4, TBD
Totally different 12 months, totally different venue, however could possibly be the identical stakes because the 2019 regular-season finale when the 49ers gained the NFC West and No. 1 seed in Seattle. The Seahawks are permitting solely 18.1 factors per recreation; the 49ers gained 17-13 in Week 1 at Seattle.
FOUR PLAYERS TO WATCH
1. Christian McCaffrey
Whereas everybody needs to see a top quality burst past 20 yards for the primary time this season, McCaffrey’s amount of yards and touchdowns are extra necessary. He’s barreling towards 1,000 yards each dashing (849 at present) and receiving (806). His eight dashing touchdowns have come prior to now eight video games, and he wants eight extra scores (dashing or receiving) to match his 2023 NFL-leading complete of 21.
2. Bryce Huff
He has been the 49ers’ greatest pass-rushing risk since Nick Bosa’s Week 3 knee damage, and though Huff has no sacks over the previous 4 video games, he has eight quarterback hits in that span. The bettering presence of Clelin Ferrell and Keion White ought to profit Huff’s pace rushes towards, so as, Ward, Jones, Williams and Sam Darnold.
3. Eddy Piñeiro
Kicker Eddy Piñeiro is anticipated to reprise his position after lacking the previous two video games with a hamstring pressure; Matt Homosexual went 2-for-2 on each field-goal and point-after kicks in every recreation. Piñeiro has hit all 22 field-goal makes an attempt since changing Jake Moody in Week 2, however don’t ignore these three point-after misses Piñeiro’s final two outings.
4. Brock Purdy
Purdy kicked into playoff gear in that remaining minute earlier than halftime in Cleveland, when he hit Ricky Pearsall on third-and-long, then Jauan Jennings, then the 33-yard, into-the-wind heave to George Kittle for a last-second, go-ahead drive. Purdy must hold blocking out his toe ache, to not point out his interceptions of Christmas previous.
FOUR TELLING QUOTES
“We have our hands full after the bye. It’s going to be interesting. Guys are going to be hyped.” – security Ji’Ayir Brown
“It’s a pretty long time if you add up the weeks of training camp and the preseason. (The bye) gives us more time going into the postseason and setting ourselves up for success in that regard.” – heart Jake Brendel
“Just rest up and recover, and when we come back we take it just one game at a time like we have but I love our character, I love our urgency, and I like where we are at.” – McCaffrey
“We can’t overlook anybody. We’ve had some guys go down and people will say, `Oh, that’s it, because they’re hurt.’ But man, it’s football, and guys step up. Guys have opportunities in front of them and they seize the moment and don’t look back.” – Purdy, on KNBR 680-AM
FOUR INSIGHTFUL NUMBERS
.500: Groups popping out of a Week 14 bye are 9-9 since 2021. Indianapolis and Washington are every 1-2. Idling this weekend together with the 49ers are the AFC-leading Patriots (11-2), the Panthers (7-6) and the Giants (2-11).
9: Wins by the 49ers, Rams and Seahawks via Week 13. The one different division to tug that off since 2002 was final season’s NFC North, just for all three groups – the Lions, the Vikings, the Packers — to lose their respective playoff opener. Historic anecdote courtesy of the AP’s Josh Dubow.
10: The 49ers allowed lower than 10 factors in every of their previous two wins (20-9 vs. Carolina, 26-8 at Cleveland). Their 2019 staff pulled that off in three straight video games, shutting out Washington 9-0 to cap that string. The Jaguars have completed the sub-10 trick in two of their previous three video games, and the Rams have completed so in 4 video games this season.
322: McCaffrey’s NFL-high in touches this season, together with a league-best 237 carries and team-high 85 receptions. He’s 50 carries shy of his 2019 complete of carries; final season, he had 50 carries in his 4 video games. Most touches in a season: 492, by Tampa Bay’s James Wilder in 1984.
