The San Francisco 49ers suffered their sixth loss of the season, further diminishing their playoff chances. However, the silver lining is that the NFC West race is a tight one, with just one game separating first and last place.
A win against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday could have significantly bolstered the 49ers' postseason chances, especially with a challenging matchup against the Buffalo Bills looming this weekend. Another loss would mark the team's third consecutive defeat—a situation head coach Kyle Shanahan knows they cannot afford.
Speaking with reporters during a Monday conference call, Shanahan was candid about the 49ers' position and the urgency heading into the final six games of their schedule. When asked if the team views each remaining game as a must-win, Shanahan didn't hesitate.
"Yeah, without a doubt," Shanahan said. "I think everyone knows—you've just got to look at it for a couple of minutes to realize where we're at. It's nice when you're one game out of first in your own division, so that does say a lot, especially being able to play two of those teams over [the next] six games.
"But you also know, you look at the whole NFC picture, and if you don't win the division, 10-7 is not guaranteed to get in as a Wild Card by any means this year. So I think everyone understands completely, outside and inside, what the situation is. That's why that Seattle game (in Week 11) was so tough of a loss, and that's why last night was even worse.
"So we know what we've got ahead of us. We know exactly what that playoff situation is. That is what it is. But really, all that matters is this week. When you do need to go on a run and put a lot of wins to even think of that, then you better make sure you're only thinking of one thing, and that's Buffalo."
The 49ers will return to practice on Wednesday, preparing for Sunday night's game against the Bills at Highmark Stadium.
"We'll come back Wednesday fully understanding the situation we're in, and coming back ready to fight, because that's all we can do right now, is just fight our asses off," Shanahan added. "And I'll be very surprised if not every guy in this building, when I see them Wednesday, isn't ready for that exact mindset that we're going to need to pull off what we feel we can."
