SANTA CLARA - The 49ers are 7-1, they just rolled the Raiders, and they still have a trade deadline decision hanging over everything.
That’s the real question for John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan now: are these Niners good enough to win the Super Bowl, or good enough only to make a run and hope that’s enough?
Sunday’s win at Levi’s Stadium didn’t really settle that. Beating the Raiders, as the piece of the puzzle goes, is not the same thing as proving you can survive the teams that show up late in the year and in the postseason.
Those opponents won’t hand the 49ers five second-half turnovers. They won’t make it that easy.
And yet the 49ers have earned their place in the conversation. They’ve already made one significant move by bringing back defensive tackle DeForest Buckner from the Colts, and their record says they’re among the league’s best. They may even be operating in a season without a true powerhouse.
Brock Purdy is playing at a very high level, even if Sunday left him visibly frustrated. Fred Warner remains, as the story puts it, “the best defender in the known universe.”
Christian McCaffrey and rookie Kaelon Black are giving the run game a dangerous 1-2 punch. George Kittle is still George Kittle.
Trent Williams is still Trent Williams. Even with rookie Gracen Halton lost for the season Sunday, the defensive line remains deep.
So yes, this team probably can win a title.
But “probably” is the key word. The 49ers are also staring at the possibility that this is the best - and maybe last - shot for this accomplished core to get the championship that would define the era.
The deadline arrives Tuesday at 1 p.m., and that’s the final window to add another impact player or two. The cost, of course, is real: draft picks now versus what might come later. But after Sunday, standing still beyond the Buckner move feels like the riskier choice.
Lynch, according to the reporting, is working the phones hard. Around the league, the message is that the 49ers are hunting.
Shanahan said after the game, “We’ve already made one big one, and hopefully there’ll be options and those options will make sense for us,” Shanahan said postgame Sunday. “I know we’re working hard, looking at it.”
Still, checking the market and actually pulling the trigger are different things.
The Raiders game also exposed why this isn’t a simple yes-or-no exercise. The final score can hide a lot, but the cracks have been there in recent weeks.
The secondary, in particular, raised alarms Sunday. Against a better quarterback than Kirk Cousins - or even against an average one, as the piece argues - those issues could be costly.
The Raiders made all three 49ers safeties and injured nickelback Upton Stout look vulnerable. Brock Bowers, who finished with 111 yards and a touchdown, was a problem all afternoon.
Trey Tucker and Michael Mayer also found room to work. Not every offense has a Bowers, but plenty of teams have enough pieces to test the same weak spots.
The outside corners didn’t exactly calm things down, either, and both were injured Sunday, though Renardo Green did pick off a pass. Shanahan was asked if the Buckner addition made the defense Super Bowl-worthy, and he didn’t bite.
“We have opportunities for that stuff. We’ve got a lot more work to do before we can say that.”
That’s the heart of it. The 49ers are deep, but are they deep enough? Can they coach around the issues, or are some of them baked into the roster?
The offense has questions too. Purdy can cover up a lot when conditions are favorable, but what happens when the weather turns? Jordan Watkins had his best game as a pro, catching four passes for 86 yards and his first career touchdown, and Shanahan praised the way he stepped up when injuries created an opening.
“We wanted to give Watkins this opportunity when people got hurt, and he’s really stepped it up and given us a lot of confidence, too,” Shanahan said.
But confidence is one thing against the Raiders. It’s another when the games get tighter and colder.
Mike Evans is dealing with Achilles tendinitis. Deebo Samuel is working through a hamstring injury severe enough that it caused him to fumble when the ball popped out.
Braden Willis, the team’s third-string tight end and backup fullback, is another uncertain piece, especially since the 49ers have shown they don’t really want to use him there.
And if the team can’t even trust receiver and punt returner Jacob Cowing against the Raiders - Purdy looked him off several times Sunday - then why would that trust suddenly appear against the NFC’s best or the AFC’s top teams?
There are no perfect teams in this NFL season. That’s not the point.
The point is that Tuesday’s deadline isn’t about chasing perfection. It’s about deciding whether the 49ers have enough reason to go get more help while the window is open.
There will always be a reason to stay put. Right now, there may be even more reasons to act.
In Other News...
49ers Suddenly Face A Brandon Aiyuk Decision They Can't Delay
Brandon Aiyuks path back to the NFL is suddenly pressing on multiple fronts, and the 49ers are right in the middle of it. After nearly two years away because of injury and contract issues, the receiver has met with San Francisco and hired an agent as he works toward reinstatement, leaving the team to sort through a situation that has lingered far too long for comfort.
The 49ers now have to decide whether to release him, trade him or keep him on the roster, with the trade deadline drawing closer and outside interest beginning to surface. For a team that has already dealt with enough uncertainty around Aiyuk, the next move could shape both its receiver room and the way this standoff finally gets resolved. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Raiders Clash Suddenly Has Real Maxx Crosby Stakes
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For the 49ers, Crosby is the kind of player who can change the conversation around a deadline if the situation ever becomes real. A strong showing by San Francisco against Las Vegas would only sharpen the question of whether the Raiders might be more willing to listen, even if the path to a deal is complicated. For now, it is one of those late-season storylines that sits in the background of a regular-season game, with the result potentially carrying more weight than usual. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Game Day Changes Could Open The Door Against Raiders
The 49ers head into game day with a few moving parts that could matter on both sides of the ball, starting up front where their defensive line has a chance to tilt the matchup in a way the Raiders have struggled to handle. The broader discussion around San Francisco centers on whether that group can create the kind of disruptive, game-wrecking presence that changes protection plans and forces an offense to play on edge.
There is also some roster movement that adds another layer to the afternoon, with the receiving corps getting a boost and depth being adjusted behind it. For a 49ers offense that will be looking to stress a Raiders defense already under the microscope, those changes could shape how the game is attacked early and how much flexibility San Francisco has if the script starts to shift. [Read more 🡒]