The 49ers have a pulse, but is it too late?

Are the 49ers back? After an excruciating three game stretch that's included blowouts to two playoff contenders and a blown lead to division-leading Seattle, the 49ers regrouped and laid some serious hurt on the hapless Bears, crushing Chicago 38-13.

It's cause for relief in San Francisco, where mounting injuries and decidedly un-clutch play has defined the season. But tonight, the Niners executed on just about every opportunity they had, scoring five touchdowns in six red zone trips. Even the field goal they had to settle for came after QB Brock Purdy dove in for a 5-yard TD run, overturned on a ticky-tack holding penalty. If you're looking for touchdown highlights, you'll be spoiled for choice, but I'll nominate this Jauan Jennings grab that put the Niners up three scores:

Jennings, who racked up 7 catches on 8 targets for 90 yards and a pair of touchdowns, injected San Francisco with the type of swagger they've been missing for much of this year. After weeks of offensive drudgery, San Francisco roared back in a big way, beating their previous bests in points (38 to 36) and touchdowns (5 to 4). Purdy was the engine for this beatdown, passing for 325 yards, two touchdowns, and a season-high 145.4 passer rating. Nearly half of those yards went to George Kittle, whose 151 yards put him in historic territory.

If nothing else, such a display of dominance helps the 49ers feel better about the future with Purdy, whose slumping performance this year amidst heavy injury trouble probably won't prevent him from earning a $50 million-plus contract next year. While some storylines will continue to persist through next year - Deebo's ineffectiveness, McCaffrey's injuries, Pearsall's lack of impact - it's reassuring to know that when Purdy is in rhythm and controlling the game, he's as lethal as any signal caller in the NFL.

However, the future looks brighter than the present, where the Niners remain in last place in the NFC West and a long-shot to make the playoffs. Even if the 49ers were able to repeat this performance four more times to end the year, they'd still have to make up two games on the Seahawks and one on the Rams, both of whom have split the season series and hold superior divisional records. That means Thursday's game against the Rams, who just beat the same Buffalo squad that turned the Niners into a pile of molten slag and broken ankles, gives San Francisco everything to lose. There's a strong chance that if the Niners can't carry over this impressive performance to TNF, their season will be officially, mathematically over.

In that sense, tonight's rout places the 49ers' season into focus; if they can do what they needed to in Week 3 and put away the Rams, they'll have a slim - but fighting - chance to make something out of this agonizing year. If they don't, they can stay home a little longer this Christmas and start worrying about the draft next year. One convincing win in the year after such a brutal stretch might be too little, too late, but the Niners at least have the chance to make the next few weeks still count.