Students of recent history can recall the 49ers in 2021 seemingly out of the picture at 3-5 and then somehow rallying to reach the NFC Championship Game.
There were some key players, as well as much of the coaching staff, that were around for that resurrection that was sparked in part by having Deebo Samuel shifted into the backfield from wide receiver and moving Arik Armstead from defensive end to full-time defensive tackle.
While it’s nice to have that in the memory bank, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t see that season as particularly relevant.
“I don’t think it pertains to anything,” Shanahan said Monday in a conference call with local reporters. “I think everyone goes off life experiences. People can resort to that and know how things work. I’ve seen a number of them, enough to know you can never count yourself out until you’re actually eliminated from something. But I think every year is different and we’ve got to write our own story this year and it has nothing to do with other years.”
In truth, for as painful as Sunday’s 24-23 loss to Arizona was, the 49ers, even at 0-2 in the NFC West, are in a division where they’re not exactly down and out.
The 49ers visit Seattle Thursday night, with the Seahawks at 3-2 after losing to the New York Giants. Arizona is 2-3 after the 49ers win and the Los Angeles Rams are 1-4.
And it’s not as if the 49ers of Oct. 6 are going to be the same team they are a month from now. Yes, they could be worse. They could also be a lot better.
Perhaps in reference to that 2021 season, where the 49ers ran off a 7-2 finish and beat the Rams in the final game of the season to sneak into the wild card round, tight end George Kittle wasn’t about to throw in the towel.
“The team that you look like in September and October will be significantly different in November and December,” Kittle said Sunday night. “We’ve got to try to get better, take one day at a time and be a little bit better every day.”
Where the 49ers need to be a lot better is on offense, which cratered in a way few Shanahan teams have after the first half when they held a 23-10 lead.
“We had four possessions with three turnovers and one turnover on downs,” Shanahan said.
THE MIDNIGHT OIL
Shanahan and his staff have already put the Arizona loss to bed to begin preparation for Seattle. The review period will be a brief one, something Bosa believed was a “blessing” in that the 49ers can focus on something else.
Toward that end, Shanahan held his weekly conference call in the morning rather than the late afternoon, and had very little in the way of updates of injured players.
With place kicker Jake Moody out indefinitely with a right high ankle sprain, he said four kickers were coming in for tryouts but had yet to learn their names. Safety Talanoa Hufanga departed with a wrist injury but Shanahan wasn’t sure of the severity or if he’d even had an X-ray.
Linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles is likely to miss another week with a calf injury, while wide receiver Chris Conley (oblique) and wide receiver/return specialist Jacob Cowing (shoulder) remain day-to-day.
Running back Christian McCaffery (Achilles tendinitis) will continue to progress deliberately through his rehab on injured reserve, and at some point will return to practice with a 21-day window to get reacclimated to football.
With the short practice week, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (chest) will also continue rehab but his 21-day period on the non-football injury list will not begin until next week at the earliest.
Defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, Shanahan said, had knee surgery and will miss four to eight weeks. Gross-Matos went on injured reserve before the Arizona game.
SNAP JUDGEMENTS
64: The entire starting offensive line as well as Purdy did not miss a snap.
58: Fred Warner was questionable coming in with an ankle injury, having practiced only on Friday. He led the 49ers with 12 tackles, one for a loss and played every defensive snap. His standard is so high it was his least impactful game.
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36: Defensive end Leonard Floyd had his first sack since the season opener against the Jets but has yet to be the consistent bookend force the 49ers were seeking opposite Bosa.
36: Wide receiver Jauan Jennings, a breakout player through the first four games, was targeted just four times and caught one pass for 13 yards.
28: Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott played 28 snaps and made it wire to wire after having knee issues in his previous two games. His most impactful play, however, was on special teams — a blocked field goal attempt by Chad Ryland that Deommodore Lenoir returned 61 yards for a touchdown.
26: Linebacker Dee Winters got his most extensive time with Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles out with a calf injury. He finished with two assisted tackles.
13: Second-year edge rusher Ronald Beal Jr. did not show up on the stat sheet with a tackle, assist or quarterback hit as he struggles to make an impact on passing downs.
10: Ronnie Bell was active and saw action at wide receiver after being inactive following a conspicuous late drop against the Rams. He was not the target of a pass.