When Sunday night’s game between the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers started, three of the 49ers’ top five players — all stars — were out.
Shortly into the first quarter, left tackle Trent Williams, another one of their stars, left the game with an injury.
That meant only Christian McCaffrey of their Fab 5 was left on the field. Yet somehow the 49ers found a way to beat the Bears in a heavyweight battle of two of the NFC’s best teams. San Francisco won 42-38 behind the play of the offense and Brock Purdy, who is playing his way into making it the 49ers’ Super Six rather than Fab 5.
The victory has the 49ers one game away from the top seed in the NFC. If they beat the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night, they lock up the top seed. If they win, they could have two playoff games at home and then play the Super Bowl in their home stadium.
Without their stars, that is simply amazing.
It’s truly been Kyle Shanahan’s best coaching job — and that’s saying something considering he almost won a Super Bowl with Jimmy Garoppolo.
49ers streaking into the playoffs: Why Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco look primed to break Super Bowl drought
Brad Crawford
The 12-4 49ers have been without star defensive end Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner for most of the season. Star tight end George Kittle has missed time this season and didn’t play Sunday.
That left it up to Shanahan to call his usual brilliant game, Purdy to continue to show he’s much more than just a game manager like some say, and McCaffrey to do his thing. In the end, they rolled on offense and held on for dear life on defense.
The 49ers offense could not be stopped. The problem is the defense couldn’t stop the Bears, which could be their undoing come playoff time. They just don’t rush the passer well enough.
For now, though, they are up to No. 5 in my Power Rankings with a chance to move up even higher by beating the Seahawks Saturday. If that happens, it’s truly an all-time great coaching job by Shanahan. It might be what propels him to his first Coach of the Year award. Let’s not forget that Purdy also missed eight games due to injury.
There are a lot of viable candidates to win the Coach of the Year award — Mike Vrabel, Liam Coen, Ben Johnson — but if this version of the 49ers ends up as the top seed in the NFC, Shanahan has to be the guy.
If they end up in the Super Bowl, it will be simply amazing. I don’t know if the defense is good enough, but the offense will be fun to watch as they make their way through the postseason — and that’s because of Shanahan.
Stars matter, but so far, somehow, the 49ers have made do without most of theirs.
Biggest Movers
|
Rk |
Teams |
Chg |
Rcrd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
|
They need to beat the 49ers on the road Saturday to be the top seed in the conference. The defense is certainly good enough. | — | 13-3-0 |
2 |
|
They won the AFC East and now have to hope the Broncos lose while they beat the Dolphins to be the AFC’s top seed. Drake Maye stated his MVP case loudly against the Jets. | — | 13-3-0 |
3 |
|
They are a real threat in the AFC playoffs. They aren’t great in any one area, but they don’t have weaknesses like some of the teams. | — | 12-4-0 |
4 |
|
They won another close game at Kansas City, and if they beat the Chargers this week, they are the top seed in the AFC. Winning close games makes you battle-tested, but does it show faults, too? | 2 | 13-3-0 |
5 |
|
Brock Purdy is on a tear right now as they try to lock up the NFC’s top seed. He has been special the past two weeks. | 2 | 12-4-0 |
6 |
|
What in the hell was that in Atlanta? They just don’t look right with one game left. The offensive line needs to get guys back. | 1 | 11-5-0 |
7 |
|
The offense has taken major strides with Ben Johnson as they have won the NFC North. But the defense has to be better come playoff time — or else. | 3 | 11-5-0 |
8 |
|
They’ve ripped off eight straight victories, and yet they still might be a wild-card team. The defense is suffocating, but the offense is still inconsistent. | — | 11-5-0 |
9 |
|
The defense played better in the loss to the Eagles, which is progress. They are going on the road come playoff time. | — | 11-5-0 |
10 |
|
The defense is great. The offense isn’t. Can they turn that offense around come playoff time? | — | 11-5-0 |
11 |
|
They blew their chance to win the AFC West by losing at home to the Texans. The offensive line is going to kill this team in the playoffs. | — | 11-5-0 |
12 |
|
They have lost three straight games as they ready for the playoffs, which is not a good look. They have nothing to play for this week, so it will likely be four straight as they rest guys. | — | 9-6-1 |
13 |
|
They play the Bucs likely for the division title Saturday in Tampa Bay. They better get more than 54 yards passing from Bryce Young — which they did in the loss to Seattle — or they won’t be winning. | — | 8-8-0 |
14 |
|
Losing to the Browns with a chance to lock up the AFC North is a bad look. Now they have to beat the Ravens to make the playoffs without DK Metcalf. | — | 9-7-0 |
15 |
|
This team is in a free fall but still just needs to beat the Panthers to have a chance to win the NFC South. Even if they do, will they be a one-and-done playoff team? | — | 7-9-0 |
16 |
|
Winning at Green Bay gives them a chance to be a playoff team. Beat the Steelers and they are in the playoffs. Will Lamar Jackson be back? | — | 8-8-0 |
17 |
|
Their season has to be considered a major disappointment. No playoffs is a bad look. Are they on the way down, or was this just an aberration? | — | 8-8-0 |
18 |
|
Brian Flores has his defense playing unreal football. It’s too bad the quarterback position has been a mess all season. | 1 | 8-8-0 |
19 |
|
That offense is sure fun to watch, but the defense still has issues. I expect major progress next season. | 1 | 7-8-1 |
20 |
|
Joe Burrow and his receivers lit up another defense Sunday, but it doesn’t matter. It’s yet another year of wasted star power on offense. | 1 | 6-10-0 |
21 |
|
Quinn Ewers has done some good things since taking over as the starter two games ago. Maybe he can be their guy next season. | 3 | 7-9-0 |
22 |
|
Tyler Shough is pushing to be the Offensive Rookie of the Year. He has been playing outstanding football for this team that has won four straight games. | 3 | 6-10-0 |
23 |
|
The late-season surge might allow Raheem Morris to keep his job. The defense is going to be nasty next season. | 1 | 7-9-0 |
24 |
|
From 7-1 to start the season to watching the playoffs. Losing Daniel Jones just crippled this team. | 6 | 8-8-0 |
25 |
|
They showed some fight in the loss to the Broncos, which I expected. But one more game and then it’s home for the playoffs. It just doesn’t seem right, does it? | 2 | 6-10-0 |
26 |
|
This is a team with a lot of issues heading into the offseason. Not having Jayden Daniels for a lot of the season killed them, but there are other big problems going forward. | — | 4-12-0 |
27 |
|
They lose by winning in beating the Raiders. The top pick in the draft is no longer theirs. | 3 | 3-13-0 |
28 |
|
They did their best to ruin the Steelers’ season by winning Sunday. The defense showed up again in that one. | 3 | 4-12-0 |
29 |
|
This is a team that seems to be heading for big changes. Kyler Murray is all but gone, and one has to wonder if coach Jonathan Gannon is gone as well. | 2 | 3-13-0 |
30 |
|
The good news is Cam Ward is showing progress. The bad news is they have a lot of holes heading into next season — including the head coach. | 2 | 3-13-0 |
31 |
|
That was truly abysmal against the Patriots. They didn’t even compete. Is Aaron Glenn truly safe? | 2 | 3-13-0 |
32 |
|
Tanking worked. They will now have the first overall pick. That’s a win for an organization that hasn’t had many lately. | — | 2-14-0 |
