Eakin Howard/Associated Press

Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers are most assuredly survivors. They’re not victims, and there’s a big difference. And that mindset might wind up benefitting San Francisco more than any NFL team during its 2024 bye week.

Good things are in store for San Francisco (4-4) and the 49ers springboarded into their off week with a 30-24 win over the Cowboys (3-4). Get ready for more good news.

“Here as of right now might be the first positive Christian McCaffrey injury update of the entire season,” ESPN insider Adam Schefter told Pat McAfee on Monday. “So far, he has not had any setbacks. I don’t want to jinx this, right? Knock on wood, I don’t want to jinx it but he has not had any setbacks. He’s looked strong and, right now, he’s poised, he’s poised to get back after their bye and play against the Buccaneers.”

That’s tremendous news for San Francisco, which next plays at Tampa Bay on Nov. 10. Since his name surprisingly appeared on the 49ers’ inactives list 90 minutes prior to their season opener on Sept. 9, the first half of the season has been a roller coaster of bad and worse for McCaffrey in searching for answers regarding his Achilles tendinitis.

Assuming McCaffrey returns, here are two more reasons not to discount the 49ers in the season’s second half: History and quarterback. Sports Illustrated writer Albert Breer isn’t guaranteeing a return to the Super Bowl for the Niners, who enter the bye in a three-way tie atop the NFC West. But Breer’s not ruling them out, either.

“What I do know, however, is that counting them out would be ignoring history,” Breer wrote in his MMQB column Monday. “The 2021 49ers started 3-5 and ended up in the NFC title game. The ’22 49ers got back there, too, after a 3-4 start. And while last year’s team started 5-0, those Niners went into the bye on a three-game losing streak, at 5-3, and somehow cleaned it up in time to make the Super Bowl.”

If they’re going to clean it up this year, they have plenty of time. And the Faithful should have faith because in games Week 9 and later over the last three seasons (2021-23), no one has a better record than San Francisco. The 49ers are 23-5 (.821) during Weeks 9-18 over that period, better than Kansas City (22-6, .786), Buffalo (19-9, .679) and Cincinnati (18-9, .667).

They got a huge boost on Sunday night from their most dependable offensive player this year, Brock Purdy, who was 18 of 26 for 260 yards with no interceptions and a 2-yard touchdown pass to George Kittle. Purdy also had as many rushing yards (56) as the entire Cowboys roster on Sunday, including a 2-yard touchdown as San Francisco built a 27-10 second-half advantage.

“Sunday was about survival for the Niners,” Breer wrote. “They got that, and now we’ll see where they can take things next, with a quarterback who’s more battle-tested, and a team that’s been forced to be a little more resourceful.”


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By Zak Gilbert

Since his freshman year at the University of Colorado, Zak has worked 30 years in sports, including 18 NFL seasons. He's spent time with four NFL teams, serving as head of communications for both the Raiders and Browns. A veteran of nine Super Bowls, he most recently worked six seasons in the NFL's New York league office.

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