Owning a 3-4 record, the San Francisco 49ers face what could be called a must-win game on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. Pro Football Focus estimates that the team's chances of making the playoffs are less than 50 percent right now. A win would thrust them above 50 percent.
San Francisco has lost two consecutive games. The 49ers have been outscored 72-37 in those two losses. Down by one at halftime, the Kansas City Chiefs outscored them 30-10 in the second half of Sunday's embarassing 44-23 defeat.
Internally, there isn't any panic just yet. After all, the team is only one game out of first place in the NFC West. However, there is a sense of urgency to turn things around.
"We're only seven weeks into this thing, so obviously, we'd love to be 7-0, but there's a lot of football left," quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said after Thursday's practice. "So, it's one of those things that, whatever the offseason was, we need to get to where we need to get more quickly and just with a sense of urgency. I think that's the biggest thing.
"I think you feel it in the locker room. I've felt it throughout the week, honestly; just there's a sense of urgency with the guys. And we have to do this together. No individual's going to do it on his own. We have to do this as a team. And I think that's what has made us great in the past here. We just have to get back to that."
The 49ers have won seven consecutive regular-season games against the Rams and travel to SoFi Stadium this weekend, where there should be a lot of red in the stands. It's easy to assume head coach Kyle Shanahan has Rams head coach Sean McVay's number. Still, last year's NFC Championship Game loss in the same building reminds the 49ers that anything can happen.
Garoppolo acknowledged that the Niners have been in this situation before. A year ago, the team was 3-5, entering a Week 10 matchup against the Rams. San Francisco won that game and six of the next eight to make the playoffs.
"I'm not going to say we've been in this exact situation because every year's different, but we've been in difficult spots before," Garoppolo shared. "And I think what's gotten us out of it in the past is just coming together as a team, being together and having that sense of urgency that we need to fix it, we need to fix it now, and it's worked well for us in the past. We just need to get back to that."
