For Niners, even with a win, ‘These are desperate times’

The San Francisco 49ers understand. They are playing for survival, playing for pride, and playing for respect. It would have been difficult to believe in September, but as acknowledged by defensive end Leonard Floyd, that’s exactly where they are. 

The Niners did beat the Chicago “Very Bad News” Bears on Sunday with a decisive 38-13 victory at Levi’s Stadium. But so what? The victory may have been a tourniquet to stop the bleeding from a three-game losing streak that was finally coming to a close.

In the immediate future, this Thursday night, the 49ers will host the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams not only defeated the Niners two and one-half months ago but also stunned the Buffalo Bills on Sunday—who crushed San Francisco in an all too typical Buffalo snowstorm last weekend. 

Technically, the Niners still are going for a spot in the playoffs, although perhaps only in misguided dreams. They need to win all their remaining games, on a schedule that includes the Detroit Lions, who have lost only once in thirteen games.

“These are desperate times,” said Floyd. “The goal is to grab it by the horns and go home early.”  He didn’t mean departing before the postseason but that seems to be the fate awaiting the 49ers. With a 6-7 overall record and sitting at the bottom of the NFC West, their chances of making a playoff run appear slim. 

It’s hard to judge your quality in a game against the Bears, who were playing their first game under interim coach Thomas Brown and have dropped their seventh straight game.

Still, San Francisco was remarkably impressive on defense, keeping Chicago to four yards in the first half. So, the Bears would be an embarrassment to their late founder and owner, George Hallis, but they’re still a legitimate NFL team. 

The Niners' offense was, in a word, effective. Quarterback Brock Purdy reminded us of his performance last year, the Super Bowl year, completing fourteen of his first sixteen passes and finishing with 20 of 25 for 325 yards and two touchdowns. “We had offensive rhythm in the first half,” said Kyle Shanahan, the Niners' relieved coach—who had been a target of fans and journalists during the brief losing streak.

“We had to step it up today”, said Shanahan. “We did and we got a win.”

Floyd, who had two sacks of San Francisco’s total seven, said “Great defense. Everyone stepped up. The goal is to carry it to Thursday.” 

The defense had been a problem with the injuries to Nick Bosa and others. 

Bosa still was unable to play for a third straight game, but with Floyd and ever-reliable Fred Warner taking charge, the D certainly dominated Chicago. The Bears were held to just 162 total yards. San Francisco surged to a commanding 24-0 lead by halftime, effectively deciding the game before the break. Chicago didn’t score until about the middle of the third quarter. 

Niner partisans had been eagerly anticipating—or perhaps just patiently waiting—for a performance like this over the past couple of months. They finally have it. However, it might have come too late.