The San Francisco 49ers started last season with a 3-5 record, including losing four consecutive games after winning their first two. Everyone outside of the building believed it was time to panic. Head coach Kyle Shanahan even considered replacing his starting quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, with rookie Trey Lance ahead of schedule.
Then the 49ers started turning things around, winning seven of their last nine games, making the playoffs, and appearing in the NFC Championship Game for the second time in three seasons.
The turnaround started with a surprising win over the Los Angeles Rams. Coincidentally, the 49ers' next opponent this season is the Rams. After being routed by the Kansas City Chiefs 44-23 and falling to 3-4, the Niners desperately need a victory.
Do the 49ers see similarities between their current predicament and the one they were in a year ago?
"It's hard to compare. Just different team, different players," Garoppolo told reporters after Sunday's loss. "A lot of different coaches too. You go back, and you just retrace those memories, I think. Pulling from that and seeing what got us out of that rut we were in last year, I think, has some application, but it's a different season.
"You've just got to go back to work, man. I mean, this stuff ain't easy. It ain't for everybody. So we've just got to go back to work. I think we've got the right guys for it."
The 49ers try to remain resolute. There is still a lot of confidence in the locker room. Players believe in the roster that Shanahan and general manager John Lynch built. Still, a 44-23 beatdown has to be eye-opening. San Francisco needs to turn things around quickly.
"You're obviously frustrated after any loss, but you've got to take it in stride," Garoppolo said. "We're 3-4 right now. There's a lot of football left to be played, so you don't want to hit the panic button or anything like that right now. You've just got to keep plugging away. There's a lot of football left in this season. We can make some noise here."
