The San Francisco 49ers are now a couple of days removed from the beat down they put on the divisional-rival Los Angeles Rams. The 49ers are now tied with the Pittsburg Steelers for most wins on Monday Night Football after destroying the Rams 31-10 at Levi's Stadium.
Emotions are high for fans and players alike, as the team finally came away with a much-needed win. For the majority of the season, the 49ers were taking a lot of heat from fans and media for their mediocre performance, lack of identity, poor execution, and the mishandling of personnel. However, after the win on Monday night, a lot of that noise has since ceased, even though those criticisms were valid and perhaps still relevant.
This was just one win. Granted, it was a massive win, one that should inspire confidence going forward. The 49ers have struggled from the fourth quarter of their Week 1 matchup against the Detroit Lions until their Week 10 victory against the Rams. Make no mistake, this team still has a lot to prove. Until they can string together multiple wins and limit their mistakes, it's ok to be a little skeptical.
By all means, enjoy the win. Lord knows this team and fanbase deserve it after not winning at home since October of 2020. What the 49ers need to do is show that they can build on this momentum and sustain success week after week. While the 49ers are entering an easier stretch on their schedule, the cards are still stacked against them to right the ship. Here's a look at the 49ers upcoming games:
- Week 11 - 49ers@ Jaguars
- Week 12 - Vikings @49ers
- Week 13 - 49ers @ Seahawks
- Week 14 - 49ers @ Bengals
- Week 15 - Falcons @ 49ers
In all honesty, the 49ers can win all of those games and should win all of those games. The Seahawks and Bengals games will prove to be season-changing for both the morale of the team and public perception of the 49ers going forward and hopefully making a push for the playoffs. But out of all of these games coming up, the one that scares me the most is the next one. Traveling to the east coast on a short week, following an emotional, much-needed victory over a division rival, this game against the Jaguars could be a trap game.
The Jaguars are coming off of a Week 10 victory over the Buffalo Bills and seek to build on their own momentum. Although the Jaguars sit at 2-7, they're not a team to sleep on. If the 49ers go into this game as they did in Week 9 when they got blown out by a beat-up second-string Arizona Cardinals team 31-17, then all of the early season criticisms still hold water.
Look for Kyle Shanahan to stick to this team's identity … run the ball, control the clock, wear down their defense and win the game in the trenches. The 49ers need to limit their mistakes and win the turnover battle. If the 49ers do that again this week against the Jaguars, look out. This team has the makings to put all of the pieces together and turn this bizarre feeling season into something special. This team needs to finish strong not just for this season but also for next season when they have a lot of unknowns regarding the roster.
Like many others, I have been critical of this team. Many of those criticisms have been and still are valid. Keeping starters on the field during garbage time against the Rams still makes no sense when you have rookies who could use those valuable snaps for their development. It's time for the 49ers to silence the critics, like myself. They haven't proved anything yet. It's hard to even talk about this team making a push for the playoffs when they still own a losing record. That could change this week when they look to go .500 on the season.
The expectations are high, and the standards for success haven't changed. The 49ers found their identity against the Rams and have put the rest of the league on notice. It's time to back that up going forward. There is no looking back. The time to silence the noise is now. One week at a time, one game at a time. Beat the Jags!