The San Francisco 49ers are preparing for a brutal three-game stretch that begins in Seattle on Thanksgiving night against the Seahawks. After that, the team will travel to Philadelphia for an NFC Championship Game rematch against the Eagles. Finally, they will host the Seahawks at Levi's Stadium.
The bird-themed portion of the 2023 schedule continues with a Week 15 face-off against the Arizona Cardinals and a Week 16 showdown with the Baltimore Ravens.
Luckily, the 49ers have been playing improved football since their bye week, ending a three-game losing streak with back-to-back victories. The defense has been much-improved in the last two outings, with many at least partially attributing this positive shift to the acquisition of defensive end Chase Young.
The trade for Young reunited him with his former Ohio State teammate and friend, Nick Bosa. On Tuesday, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year shared his sentiments about the impact of having Young anchoring the opposite side of the defensive line.
"Just having him out there is really good energy," Bosa told reporters before Tuesday's practice. "He's excited to go out there and play. He wants to get those important reps in the game. And we're talking before plays, kind of talking about what we're going to do, and when he causes pressure [or] I cause pressure, it seems like the other guy ends up cleaning it up."
Upon joining the 49ers, Young anticipated a "race to the quarterback," reminiscent of their time together at Ohio State. Bosa and Young have collaborated for four sacks over the last two games.
That increased pressure up front is imperative for the upcoming slate of games. While the 49ers know that the next few weeks could define their season, they emphasize the importance of not looking past the immediate opponent.
"It's going to be a grind," tackle Trent Williams admitted. "And that's when taking it one week at a time is most important because, obviously, it's hard to focus on this week if you're thinking about who's coming up next week and the week after that.
"Everybody can look at the schedule and see we got four games, four or five games that are going to be against really good competition and going to be definitely tough games to play. So that's not going anywhere. So the best you can do is focus on going 1-0 every week."
