The San Francisco 49ers are in unfamiliar territory this season. In recent years, December football was about securing playoff seeding. This time, they're fighting to avoid playoff elimination.
At 6-7, the 49ers' postseason hopes are slipping, making every game a must-win. That urgency was evident in Sunday's dominant 38-13 victory over the Chicago Bears and must carry over into Thursday night's clash with the Los Angeles Rams.
"The last couple years, all we cared about was just week-by-week," quarterback Brock Purdy said on Tuesday. "We didn't care about where we were at going into the whole playoff thing. We wanted to get in, we wanted to win our division, and what that took was to win every single week."
Now, on the outside looking in, the 49ers face an uphill battle. They need a strong finish to the season, likely winning all four remaining games while relying on favorable outcomes elsewhere.
"With where we're at now, it can't be what is the end going to look like?" Purdy added. "It has to be we have to take care of business today, and then tomorrow, and then when the game comes, take care of each play, and drive, and quarter.
"It's just being in the moment and not looking too far ahead. With that comes playing together as a team and playing desperate because we don't have room to lose or anything like that. That's just where we're at."
Purdy credited the entire team for playing with urgency against the Bears, knowing they must treat each game like a playoff contest.
"Since that Buffalo game, every week is a playoff game," head coach Kyle Shanahan added, echoing Purdy's comments. "It feels like it this week, and hopefully, we can take care of business, so next week feels the same."
Purdy addressed the team on Saturday night before the win against Chicago, emphasizing the importance of playing with unity. Though he declined to reveal specifics, he stressed the need for a sense of desperation in their play, which was evident on Sunday.
"At the end of the day, just playing desperate football with where we're at in the season, and we don't have room for error," Purdy said. "Now's the time to get up and go, and to create momentum and energy for each other, both sides of the ball playing as a team.
"And I think just hearing that from players and having it be a player-led team, it's important, it's huge, especially with where we're at."