The past two San Francisco 49ers victories have stirred a bit of a debate among the Niner Faithful. Beating the rival Seattle Seahawks for the first time since 2013 was certainly nice, but it likely took the 49ers out of the running for the top overall pick and Nick Bosa — if that is the direction San Francisco would have headed.
No player or coach is thinking about losing. Too much is at stake like job security and money. Take defensive coordinator Robert Saleh for instance. His defense has stepped up in the last two games after a season full of criticism from fans. Saleh isn't likely to be thinking about draft picks and is making every effort to win.
Then there are young players like quarterback Nick Mullens, who is having fun in his starting opportunity after injuries thrust him into the role.
"I'm just trying to win ball games," Mullens told reporters on Wednesday. "That's the biggest thing, and it's the funnest thing. It's the coolest challenge about what we get to do, is that we play to win. That's all we're focused on this week and in the future, just winning."
The 49ers head into Week 16 with just four wins — a far cry from the expectations headed into the season. While San Francisco has the excuse of injuries, like those to starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and featured back Jerick McKinnon, the offseason hype surrounding the team may have also been a bit premature.
"That's something you're very well-aware of as a coach," head coach Kyle Shanahan told Albert Breer of The MMQB on Wednesday. "You're always worried about it because, with expectations, you know where people go. And if you don't live up to those expectations, it can deflate people. It can get negative very fast. But that's just the league. That's how it always is.
"I knew we weren't just going to line up and beat people, just because we showed up. Our expectations were realistic—we wanted a chance to be in every game."
Instead of potentially fighting for a playoff spot, the 49ers find themselves in the role of spoiler for the second-consecutive season. They are racking up wins in December after failing to earn many in the preceding months. San Francisco has already helped crushed the playoff hopes of the Denver Broncos and delayed a playoff-clinching victory for the Seahawks.
Next up? Trying to knock off the playoff-bound Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams.
Shanahan, the rest of the coaches, and the players know fan and media expectations were not met this season and had to listen to all of the media and fan negativity that comes with that failure — even if they try to ignore the noise.
"All the coverage, every day, 24 hours a day," Shanahan continued, "that's stuff that, even if you try to ignore it, all your family hears, your wife, your girlfriend, your kids, your brothers, whatever it is. It's really hard."
That's why Shanahan believes these seemingly meaningless wins are important for the team heading into the offseason.
"So whenever you can find wins when you're out of it—and not just find wins, but play good football, and especially if you're beating a good team—it says a lot about the character of the guys," Shanahan added.
You can read Breer's feature over at The MMQB.