Alex Rodriguez on the sidelines for 49ers vs Chargers

It was a strange week for the San Francisco 49ers, who had to work through an unusual schedule that saw them arrive home from their Monday night game in Mexico City in the early morning hours on Tuesday, followed by Thanksgiving on Thursday. Still, they managed to work through it and prepare themselves to play against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, and in the end they came out on top with a 13-0 win. How did the 49ers work through that schedule? We'll look at that in this version of 49ers Notebook, along with some postgame thoughts from head coach Kyle Shanahan on the running back situation, a look at an impressive streak the 49ers snapped on Sunday, and much more. Let's get it started... (See also:

This 2022 iteration of the 49ers is endlessly fascinating to watch. One of the best teams in football one week, getting humiliated the next. Back to the future, forward with the past. But as turbulent and ramshackle as it's been, the 49ers are morphing into a team ready to dominate in the playoffs, just as head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have always believed. Here are 5 observations from yesterday's win over the Saints. 1. The Scoreless Streak Extends to 4… In the second half of the past 4 games, the 49ers haven't allowed a point. None. Zip. Zilch. Nada. The Rams, Chargers, Cardinals, and now Saints have all failed to crack the scoreboard once after halftime. While only this last contest has been a pure shutout, that mark remains

There's a player-player rivalry brewing in the NFC West. Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is ready for a bout with San Francisco 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward, and he's not talking about the Week 18 rematch between the two teams in January. Following this past Monday night's win over the Cardinals in Mexico City, Ward criticized Hopkins following the 49ers' 38-10 victory. "He was getting locked up. He was doing some dirty things," Ward said. "He tried to clip me, he grabbed me by the throat. He grabbed my facemask on one play, so I don't respect his game. That's steroid boy." That last part is a jab regarding

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel was limited all week during practices as the team prepares for its Week 12 matchup against the New Orleans Saints. When head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters on Wednesday, rattling off the names of those who would not practice or be limited, Samuel's name was absent. It wasn't until the official practice participation report was released that the wideout's injury was revealed to reporters. Samuel emerged from Monday night's win over the Arizona Cardinals with a hamstring injury. Although, it wasn't immediately known. And the injury was different than the Week 7 hamstring injury that occurred against the Kansas City Chiefs and kept him out the next week against the Los Angeles Rams. "No, it was something