The 49ers have made a habit of flipping the switch after the calendar turns and the bye week comes and goes, and the numbers back it up. Since 2022, San Francisco is 23-8 in November and December regular-season games, with the lone ugly outlier coming in 2024.
Here’s how that stretch has broken down: 2022 was spotless at 9-0, 2023 finished 7-2, 2024 cratered at 2-7, and 2025 is back to 7-2. The only way to beat that 2022 group, the source notes, was to have a defender make sure then-rookie Brock Purdy couldn’t throw a forward pass.
One of the 2023 losses gets an asterisk because it came in a meaningless Week 18 game, while the other arrived on Christmas when Purdy was in a giving mood. And in 2024, a trip to Lambeau Field around Thanksgiving with Brandon Allen starting said plenty about how that second half went.
The post-bye track record has been just as strong. The 49ers haven’t lost a game coming out of their bye since Week 7 of 2021, when Jimmy Garoppolo threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, Deebo Samuel also lost a fumble, and Carson Wentz hit Michael Pittman to seal a 30-18 Colts win in the fourth quarter.
Since then, the bounce-back performances have piled up. In 2022, San Francisco came out of its bye at home against the Chargers, fell behind 13-3, then locked them down and held Los Angeles scoreless in the second half. With 49 seconds left and the Niners up 22-16, Talanoa Hufanga intercepted Justin Herbert to finish it off.
The 2023 bye-week return might have been the cleanest statement yet. On a rainy day in Jacksonville, the 49ers smothered the Jaguars, limiting them to 221 yards and three points.
George Kittle broke free for a 66-yard touchdown to open the second half and push the lead to 20-3, and Hufanga later picked off Trevor Lawrence to put it away. Both teams entered at 6-3, but only one left looking like a real contender.
The 2024 version was a warning sign, even in victory. San Francisco beat Tampa Bay 23-20 and moved to 5-4, but Jake Moody missed three field goals, the run game never got going, and the flashes from Ricky Pearsall ended up being the last bright spots of that season.
This year’s post-bye game against Tennessee fit the trend much better. Off the bye in Week 15, Purdy threw three touchdowns and just seven incompletions, and his QBR was nearly triple Cam Ward’s. Tennessee tacked on a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, which made the final 37-24 look closer than the game really was.
So the pattern is there: Shanahan teams surge late, and they handle the bye well. With a home game against a Raiders team that was outgained by the Jets next, the 49ers’ path is sitting right in front of them. Depending on how the rest of the schedule shakes out, the No. 1 seed is there for the taking, even if a couple of slips show up along the way.
In Other News...
Brock Purdy Gets Real About A Brandon Aiyuk Reunion
Brock Purdy isnt carrying any hard feelings into the possibility of seeing Brandon Aiyuk again. The 49ers quarterback made it clear he still holds nothing but love and respect for the wideout, even after a long stretch apart, a sign that whatever has happened behind the scenes hasnt changed the personal side of the relationship.
Aiyuks situation remains one of the more interesting loose ends around San Francisco as the team moves forward. His future with the 49ers is still uncertain, but if he does show up around the facility, Purdys message suggests the door to a reunion would open with warmth rather than awkwardness. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Aiyuk Situation Just Got Much Messier For The 49ers
Brandon Aiyuks next steps with the 49ers have become a lot more complicated as the sides sort through a contract issue that goes beyond the usual trade or release conversation. His agent said there are plans to meet with the team, but the situation now has the NFL Management Council and NFL Players Association involved as the two sides work through how his contract and roster status should be handled.
What makes this especially messy is that the process could still end in agreement or move to arbitration, leaving Aiyuks future in San Francisco unresolved for now. For a 49ers team that has already had to navigate plenty of offseason noise, the uncertainty around one of its most prominent players adds another layer to a situation that is clearly not close to being settled. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Face Two Raiders Threats That Could Ruin A Post-Bye Reset
The 49ers come out of the bye with a clear defensive emphasis, and the timing is right after a stretch in which San Francisco has been looking for more consistency on that side of the ball. Adding DeForest Buckner would fit that broader push for sturdier play up front, especially with the next opponent offering a mix of problems that can make a reset feel a lot less comfortable than it sounds.
Las Vegas has been shaky enough defensively to invite confidence, but the Raiders also have a knack for creating turnovers, which can flip a game fast if San Francisco gets loose with the ball. On the other side, the passing game has found enough rhythm to matter, with Kirk Cousins and Brock Bowers giving the Raiders a couple of routes to stress a defense that wants the bye week to show up on the field immediately. [Read more 🡒]