The San Francisco 49ers were 4-6 at the start of their week off. Before playing last week against the Los Angeles Rams, they found out they had been forced out of their home port in Santa Clara, not knowing when they would be able to play or train there again.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve already attributed the 49ers’ season to a Super Bowl hangover. We knew some teams would catch bad breaks in a weird 2020, and arguably no one was luckier than the 49ers. They’ve had a ton of injuries, several players are on the reserve / COVID-19 roster (they’ve used a team record of 74 players this season) and they’re now the first team this season moved from their home stadium. origin.
Still, the 49ers are not out of the playoff race. The 49ers beat the Rams last week, sweeping the season streak, and all of a sudden at 5-6, they’re back in the mix. The 49ers will look to continue against the Buffalo Bills on Monday night, a game that can be streamed live on the Yahoo Sports app.
It will be a home game for the 49ers … in Glendale, Ariz., With the Arizona Cardinals. It’s not like the 49ers aren’t used to adversity.
The 49ers still in the race for the playoffs
The 49ers’ toughest night of the season was likely a Thursday night game of Week 9. Due to injuries and other COVID-19-related absences, the 49ers had a lineup against the Green Bay Packers that looked like to something you would see in week four of the preseason. They lost 34-17 and the game was not that close. A loss to the Saints a week later seemed to end the 49ers’ chances.
But five weeks from the end, there is still hope. The Cardinals’ surprising loss to the New England Patriots dropped them to 6-5, one game ahead of the Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and 49ers at 5-6. The Rams are 7-4, and even though they lead the 49ers by two games, San Francisco holds the tiebreaker against them.
The 49ers are starting to pick up players. Cornerback Richard Sherman, running back Raheem Mostert and wide receiver Deebo Samuel returned last week. Rookie wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is expected to return this week. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and tight end George Kittle could be back by the end of the season.
The 49ers are not in great shape. They’ve dug a big hole this season but the roster is starting to improve, they played well last week and the NFC race was not lost on them. They have little margin for error, and beating the Bills would probably be a good idea if they are to stay in the chase.
49ers adjusting to their new home
It’s tough enough that you need to win at least four and maybe the remaining five games to make the playoffs. But moving operations five weeks from completion add a unique challenge.
“Hopefully we can go for a week and figure out somehow – what we can do, what we can’t do, what the situation is – and then we’ll spend the next two weeks trying to do the things. adjustments needed … as good as possible for any issues we can fix, “49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said.
Sometimes adversity can rally a team. It’s not ideal for anyone to have to move to Arizona all the time, but they are professionals and they will take care of it the best they can.
If the 49ers beat the Bills and then advance to the playoffs, it will be one of the most impressive stories of the NFL season. It wouldn’t be as grand as making a Super Bowl, like San Francisco did last season, but it would still be a proud moment considering all of the 49ers have gone through it.
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